Never Again
by sassygirl93
Summary: Harry is abused at home while his  sister is hailed the savior of the side of light. All changes when Harry and 5 kids are accepted into Count Lodes training and he's forgotten.Years later,he faces a battle with Voldemort -HIATUS   UNDERGOING REWRITE-
1. Fresh new hope

**Chapter 1: A plastic family**

"_Lily, its him, go up! Make sure the twins are safe!" James hoarsely said to his wife as a masked figure was attempting to break down their door_

"_You know what'll happen if I leave you here" Lily croaked. James stroked her cheek_

"_I know. Be brave Lils. For me, for Harry, for Ashley" James managed to choke out. Lily gave her husband a final worried look before speeding up the stairs_

"_What are you doing here?" James confidently asked_

"_To fulfill a prophecy" Voldemort simply said_

"_I won't let you…aah!" James let out a scream_

"_Crucio" Lily's heart leaped as she heard the Dark Lord's voice and imagined the image of James now. She had to be strong. She had to rescue the twins. She dashed to the nursery and huddled next to the kids. It was the end for her. But it wasn't going to be the end of her children_

"_Ah, Lily" Voldemort's voice was slithery_

"_No…take me instead. Don't lay a hand on Harry and Ashley" Lily sobbed_

_Voldemort pushed her huddled figure aside. Lily fainted. _

"_Harry Potter" Voldemort hissed_

"_You bad" Harry blabbed_

"_Awwy! Hide!" Ashley tugged on Harry's shirt_

"_No, we hab to stop da bad man" Harry strictly said_

"_Enough of this, Potter…Avada Kedavra" Voldemort uttered the words _

_A green light hit Harry on the forehead and Harry lost consciousness. The spell's side effects were taken on Ashley who now had minimal scars._

_The green light rebounded and hit the Dark Lord. Voldemort slumped down the floor and vanished_

_James got conscious and sped upstairs. He woke Lily up and took no notice of Harry and Ashley. _

_Ashley was trying to revive her brother while shaking him._

"_Eke up Awwy! Bad man gone" Ashley crooned to the figure_

"_Lily, look!" James said and Lily's eyes averted to the twins_

"_Ashley is the child of the prophecy!" Lily gasped_

_Hours later, Dumbledore cam to their house. James explained everything: Peter's betrayal, Voldemort's failure and their daughter. Lily proudly held up Ashley while Harry played with the ashes_

"_She's the child of the prophecy, Albus! When I came, she was trying to wake Harry. Harry had one scar, but Ashley has numerous" James said_

_Dumbledore smiled_

"_We have found the savior of the world" _

--

That was 10 years ago.

Ashley Potter was now the star of the wizard world. Feared and respected everywhere. Loved, pampered and spoiled everywhere. Known as "England's Angel" to Lily and James and their close ones

She took it for granted. She was a brat. Arrogant, conceited, selfish and self centered. She was boastful about her being "the girl who lived"

Harry meanwhile had been shut to the shadows like a common servant. Mentioned only in the newspapers as "Harvey". Abused and neglected by his family. No one cared about him, no one gave a damn. Every birthday of his would be forgotten because the people were too busy planning "Ashley's Holiday". Harry learned how to talk, spell and do math all by himself but no one cared…no one…no one…

--

"Brat… get down here right now!"

From the people who knew Lily Evans back in her Hogwarts years would say she was a sweet girl and if she had children, she would be fair and just to them. They were wrong.

Ever since the attack, Lily was hostile towards Harry. She didn't know why but she had found many reasons like:

"You couldn't have helped Ashley! You just fainted like a coward"

"Your hair is too messy! I want it cut"

"Your eyes are too scrawny"

And the like. They were stupid reasons. But Lily felt the need that if her daughter was to face the fearsome Dark Lord someday, she had to be spoiled and pampered for as long as she could.

"Coming mum" Harry barely said. It was his 12 birthday and everything seemed like a normal day. His birthdays were not really special. Except every birthday for the past 5 years, he would receive a present from someone anonymous. They were very expensive, special and they looked old. He never told his mother about them

Harry went downstairs and he saw the same sight as he did everyday. His parents giving Ashley a gift. But this time, numerous ones.

"What is this I hear from Ashley? You spilled Milk on her doorstep!" Lily angrily said

"It was an accident…" Harry reasoned

"You know very damn well it wasn't. We treated you very special in this household; this is the thanks you give us?" Lily asked.

Ashley looked smug and smirked at Harry

"What is all this screaming about?' James asked, lumbering downstairs

"Harry _purposely _spilled milk on my door" Ashley pouted

James looked shock at Harry and went near Ashley

"Oh, that's just terrible! Don't worry sweeten; we'll get you a new door. This time, your favorite color" James said as he coddled the 12 year old

"Oh please" Harry muttered

"And as for you…"James clenched his fist and punched Harry in the stomach. Lily evilly grinned and so did Ashley.

Harry felt tears sting his eyes as he clumsily ran upstairs. He hated this place. He didn't have any happy memory of it. Suddenly, his scar was pierced with pain. This happened a lot so he got used to it.

Just then, a luxury owl arrived carrying a package. Harry didn't know the owl's name but it was the same owl every year. It was carrying a small brown package. And for the first time, a note

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_You noticed I have given you gifts for the last few years. I expect that you keep those gifts since they will be a part of your life. The first gift, a small golden chain, can bind up even them strongest people. The second gift, a silver card, can tell you which directions to take. The third gift, a small, diamond blade, can slice up anything in a swish. The fourth gift, a book, can tell you even the toughest information_

_Before I get to the fifth gift which is the one enclosed, Let me tell you this: Every decade, we choose 6 different people. All powerful yet mistreated. You, Harry are one of those chosen ones. These six people, if they agree, can leave their current homes and stay at my manor where they will be trained by the best of the best. I'm sure you have heard of Hogwarts, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang as very powerful schools. The knowledge you can learn in these schools is only a single dot in a big circle of dots in which we will teach you in the manor. You are destined for greatness, Harry. Choose this academy, and you will someday become part of an elite, strong group. _

_The fifth gift is a portkey and it will be activated at 7:00 this evening. I think it's about 9:45 so you have hours to say goodbye. Touch the portkey at seven and it will transport you to the manor_

_Goodbye and I hope to see you soon,_

_Count Lodes _

"Lodes…that's familiar" Harry mumbled. He had read the name somewhere. It was about a man who was very powerful and offering splendid education to the most unexpected people. Very few books were written about him. All giving out unspecific information. He was mysterious yet dangerous

_No way. THE Count Lodes was offering him a spot?_

He was damn well excited. To leave this horrible house and start new. He was going to be trained to be powerful. One by one, he started packing his things. Putting the gifts in right places in the suitcase and the portkey still in its box

--

"Count Lodes, are you sure these are the six people we're looking for?" A girl in black and pink robes asked

"They are…I am very particular about the last one: Potter. You see, there's something about his past and I cant put my finger on it" Count Lodes said

"Are you sure they would agree?" The woman pursued

"They are mistreated in the most brutal ways possible. And yet with each hurt they experience, their power level seems to grow bigger. That happened to you, Luciana" Count Lodes motioned to the woman

"I just feel sorry for them, watching them. It brings out stuff about my past" Luciana said

"You experienced far more in your childhood than they could ever, I admit, but Luciana, you were brought here to the manor to release that negative energy and start a new leaf" Count Lodes responded

"I know…Count Lodes, are we going to help in the war?" Luciana asked

"This batch is lucky. They will help in the war. They just need training. And as Strum predicted, the final battle will be 5 years from now. Strum has never been wrong" the count chuckled

"At Hogwarts, I know. It will be held there. And the perfect timing. 5 years of training is the true course we have been doing for the past years" Luciana smiled

"I just hope they would be ready" Lodes sighed

"You've never failed any student sir. Why should this be any different?" Luciana asked

"It's got the whole world at stake" Lodes said as he walked away, leaving Luciana in doubt

"Sir, can I come too?" Luciana called after

"Your spirit was never lost. Your flame never burned out. That's your power" Count Lodes called back

--

**Hey I'm back again…this time hit with a new plot bunny! Tell me what you think!**


	2. Goodbye till forever

**What the tide brings**

Harry paced back and forth in his room while watching the seconds tick away. Few more till seven o'clock. Harry hadn't even bothered to get dinner. Excitement and anxiety was burning all over his stomach. He was finally leaving

The portkey was on his bedside. 10 seconds to 7 and he sat down beside it. Few more…

"5…4…3…2…1" Harry chimed in. He touched the portkey which glowed a light orange. On the background, he heard his sister scream for him. But no way was he obeying. Now he was being sucked into a whirlpool of gray and blue. Everything was fading…

With a thump, he landed in a vast hallway with magical diamond chandeliers hanging above. At the same time, 5 people, 2 boys and 3 girls, popped in beside him. The fall was soft as there were large cushions (obviously prepared) waiting for them

There was tension everywhere as each one looked at the other. Each one knew the power of the other. There were nervousness on everyone's faces yet, they all held something in common: They all had abuse bruises.

"Good Evening" A calm voice shook the silence. A decent-looking man entered the hall with a woman behind him. He looked kind yet deadly, humorous yet smart. The man was the ever-famous, Count Lodes

"I am Count Lodes. Things were explained in my letter and you know why you are here. You are all special yet underestimated. You hold undiscovered power. This place will train you to control that power. And you will have a chance to use it. You see, you may call it scary now but as you go on, it will seem like a cookie. You will face Lord Voldemort. You will fight in the second war" Saying this, the Count was spontaneous and simple.

Everyone gasped. Harry felt the pain sear thru his scar.

"Now, this manor will have everything you desire: A home and family. Treat each other as brothers and sisters because in your training, you will go on missions and you need sibling affection to save each other. You have chosen the training and there will be no turning back. You have chosen a future of bloodshed and fame. Remember, you are special." Count Lodes continued this time in a grave voice.

The count stepped back and the woman behind spoke. The teens were all too shocked and were lost for words.

"Now, don't brothers and sisters need to know each other? Step up and introduce yourselves" The woman motioned to one petite girl who looked like she came from a coal mine.

She had understated beauty with blonde hair with brown streaks and blue eyes

"…I am…Lachine Miller. I am 12 years old…" The girl stuttered

The next one was a boy with red hair and brown eyes. He looked like he was used for a whipping platter

"My name is Brian Coleman. I'm 11 and turning 12 next week" The boy bravely said

Next was a girl with wild brown hair. If she hadn't spoken, people would have mistaken her for a forest junkie

"I'm Green Jennings…I'm 12" The girl stated

Then came a boy with a mane of golden hair. His eyes were violet. Like the others, he looked like he could come down with a flick

"Um…I'm Neil Marcus…I'm just 12" The guy shyly said

Then, a girl with brown hair and magenta highlights stepped up. She looked thin and dirty

"What's up…I'm Helena Parks…12 like you" The girl cheerfully said

Then, jet black hair and emerald eyes stood up

"Harry Potter…12" He said

Everyone gasped. Luciana was calm

"You mean…Ashley's relative?" Lachine asked

"I'm her brother..."  
"They abuse you?" Neil shockly asked

"That's sick" Green cried

"To think I ever thought they were a perfect family" Brian told him

"I expected more…" Helena tooted

"You all were abused. You all are equally powerful" Count Lodes said

"Now your training begins next week. Tomorrow, you will be acquainted with the people who live with you in this manor. Come, I will show you to you're rooms" Luciana said

The group followed Luciana up a flight of stairs. From what they could see, the manor was really vast, very big. Rolling hills, Thousands of hectares stretched as far as they could go

"The manor is big…the estate too. I myself haven't gone on its outer borders" Luciana explained, seeing the kid's faces

"Wow" Harry muttered

Luciana motioned to a corridor of lined with doors. She held up a bunch of keys and opened each one

"These are your rooms. I hope they are comfy" Luciana coldly said as she brushed past them

Brian spoke up first

"I don't know about you but I want to sleep first night of freedom away…Night all" Brian haughtily said

"Night" Everyone echoed as they entered their respective rooms

What seemed so strange was that the rooms were what they wished for. They were exactly what they needed. Harry's room was gold, silver and black. It had a four poster (king sized) bed, a large desk, shelves stocked up with books that fascinated him, and lots of free space.

He opened the wardrobe and was surprised to find clothes inside. Everything seemed to be sorted out. Exercise clothes, everyday clothes, sleeping clothes, formal robes, everyday robes. Get this: They all fit nice and swell and they were all colored gold, silver and black

He stocked up the belongings he brought with him in the empty drawers. Then he dressed in pajamas and slept…

"_They've got it all wrong! They're training the wrong kid…They wont stand a chance in the war" A maniacal voice cackled. The person saying this was cloaked in a pitch black robe_

"_Yes…who knew old wise Dumbledore could have missed it" A snaky voice hissed. _

_They weren't speaking English but somehow, it was understandable_

"_Never underestimate them Nagini…" _

_The scene faded away in a blur_

Harry got up next day and recounted what had happened

Oh yeah! He was accepted into a prestigious training school…

He dressed up in black cargo pants and a gold t-shirt. Since they were just going to get acquainted today, he figured to dress casually

The others thought so too because when Harry came out of the door, he found Lachine clad in a brown safari jumper/dress, Brian in a red shirt and navy pants, Green in a pair of teal Mini shorts and orange shirt, Neil in a violet polo shirt and Helena in a magenta colored dress paired with leggings.

"Hey…" Green started

"Morning" Harry stated

Just then, Luciana appeared in front of them all

"Morning everyone…I hope you slept well" Murmurs of agreement followed but Harry's stomach churned

"Okay…before everything officially starts, we need to have some breakfast. Follow me to the dining hall everybody" Luciana ordered

The group trooped down the stairs and Luciana pushed a double door open and they were greeted with quite a sight.

A long, circular table made of fine wood sat in the center and were filled with the most exotic food. At the fanciest chair, sat Count Lodes and beside him, a woman with auburn hair about the count's age

"Sit down and eat. We have a lot to do after this" Count Lodes told them

The 6 reluctantly sat down but Neil started the riot. He grabbed a piece of German sausage then other food. Followed by Green and then the rest…

It was the best breakfast Harry had ever tasted and it made him feel better. After everyone was done, the woman sat up

"I am Countess Marcia. Come with me and we will do something so that you can really feel you belong here" Marcia said and they followed her out

The six came upon a red door and Marcia opened it. It was a relaxing place. With candles, pillows and several bowl-thingies that looked like bird baths

"Now, we are here so that you can discover your soul mentor. A soul mentor is an animal found at the hearts of the most powerful people. The animal has a name and that's a sort of "codename" you use on missions. I expect authorities have been alerted about your disappearances so we need to keep you safe" Marcia explained

"Can I go first, I hate the name "Potter" even if it is just a codename" Harry disdainfully said

"You can…" Marcia whispered

Harry went near one of the bird baths

"Stare at the water closely and focus on your heart" Marcia instructed

Harry focused and concentrated. On his dreams, challenges, what he wanted to do. Suddenly, an image came galloping like a reflection in the water. It was a silver stallion. It knew Harry and everything on Harry's mind

"I see a silver stallion…" Harry said

"The name"

A smoky figure stood up the horse. It bore the name

"Argon! Argon the silver stallion" Harry cried

"Welcome Argon. Now, these animals are your guides. As you can see on Harry's wrist a silver stallion is tattooing. Consult them on your time of need and you can find the answer popping out on your head" As if drawn by a silver marker, a picture of a horse formed in Harry's wrist.

Everyone was excited to follow. Soon, they became…

"Shanty the brown leopard" Lachine shouted

"Aerobe the red lion" Brian said with awe

"Peron the orange dolphin" Green girlishly giggled

"Watts the violet parrot" Neil announced

"Yale the magenta peacock" Helen proudly acclaimed

"Now all of this means something. For instance, Lachine got the leopard because she has the ability to be quick. Brian, a lion, because he doesn't want to lose, Green, a dolphin, signifying loyalty, Neil, a parrot, because he likes to watch out, Helena, a peacock because she has something good to show the world, and Harry, a stallion, because he is good both in mind and heart" Marcia explained

Everyone was shocked to hear this.

"Ma'am, do you have one?" Helena asked

Marcia showed them her wrist where there was a pink panda bear.

"It's a panda, symbolizing protection" Marcia smiled

"And Luciana?" Neil asked

"A yellow dog…for bravery" Marcia explained

"And the count?" Whispered Harry

"A golden dragon" Marcia said

"Now, you will find that your clothes now have your animal in some place. For pants, it's in the bottom left side, for shirts, it's on the right sleeve, for robes, on the chest. Now, come along, I have to introduce you to some people…" Marcia simply said. He children wondered who on earth were they to meet

"Oh yes, I almost forgot, engraved on your keys are the animal's names, or your codenames" Marcia's eyes winked. Everyone scrambled around their pockets looking for their keys. And there it was.

Once they were outside, Marcia snapped her fingers and a bunch of house-elves appeared

"These elves will be yours while you are on the academy. Treat them well and they will give your desires" Marcia said. Harry found this easy for there were house-elves in the Potter home and he was always kind to them

"For Lachine, this is Nod" Marcia pointed to a young elf that looked eager. Nod stood beside Lachine

"Brian, you have Wally" Brian proudly held the hand of a strong looking elf

"Green, you're elf is Pablo" Green skipped over to an old looking elf

"Neil, take up Jon" Jon looked like he was a perfectionist because his shirt was clean

"Helena, you can have Hooter" Hooter gloomily stepped up beside Helena

"For Harry, take Gird" Gird was a simple elf, looked tired but approachable

"Now, everyone, training takes place tomorrow. Wear your training clothes…The world hangs in your hands…train well" With that, she left.

"Which ones are training clothes?" Helena asked

"I think they've been labeled" Neil told her

"Oh…"

Just then, Count Lodes entered the scene

"Good morning, I trust Marcia has finished her job?" The count asked

"Yes" Echoed thru the room

"Very well, I would like you to meet someone then…come on" The count urged

They were going up the tower and the trip was tiring. When they reached the top, there was a door

"Strum, its me" The Count said

"Enter" A mystical voice said.

The door opened and what they saw was amazing. The room was a navy blue, with green shapes stuck on the wall, there was a round table at the center with a cauldron bubbling a potion, lots of books, a pensive and many more gizmos. There were hangings of all sorts, posters of astrology and lots more

The man took no notice of them and continued brewing the potion

"A female newt's toenail" The man cackled and dropped them in the potion. The tar-like substance frothed and sizzled crazily

"A dash of hippogriff saliva and…" The children watched as the man dripped the saliva onto the cauldron and it emitted a boom

"Eek!" Green squeaked

"This, children is the most accomplished sorcerer, seer and potion-brewer to ever walk the earth. He advised me to choose you. This is Strum" The count proudly said

"Ayah, enough of the flattery and let me take a look at the kids" Strum modestly said

The man strode his way towards them

"Ah, this one has the skills to be as speedy as light" Strum peered closely to Lachine then he moved to Brian

"This one has the heart to win" He observed then slated over to Green

"Hmm, this one can be trusted with the deepest secrets…A true friend" The man nodded to himself and went over to Neil

"This one is as observant as a hawk…sensitive to his surroundings" Strum told himself then he went to Helena

"You, my dear, you are very confident and not afraid to share your thoughts" Strum chuckled as he told Helena this.

Then, Harry. When Strum faced Harry, He flinched

"You…you have power beyond your wildest imaginations, very powerful, a true leader" Strum smiled as he motioned to Harry

"Thank you Strum" Count Lodes said and they went out

"Listen children, you might think Strum is an old loony, but don't ever underestimate him. Funny at first sight but very powerful and smart on the inside" Count Lodes whispered


	3. A new leaf

**Life at the Manor**

5 years later…

Time passed so quickly

The six bonded instantly and they began training immediately. Training was very exhausting and tiring. They were pushed to their extremes every time. I mean, they woke up at 6:00 am and slept at 10:00 pm

They had lessons in weaponry, riding, wandless magic, wand magic, potions and martial arts. Each was good at everything, but one really excelled in something.

Lachine was fond of weaponry (swords, knives, arrows), Brian was good at riding (magic carpets, brooms and self-levitation), Green got the talent of wand magic (charms, transfiguration, hexes, curses), Neil could whip up a potion blindfolded and in the middle of a crisis and Helena got the talent of physical movement (acrobatics, boxing, kung-fu) and Harry was very good at wandless magic

They were taught things way beyond NEWT levels

They learned to apparate at 13 years old and knew the wizard world's history at 14

They also went on missions. Simple ones like solving a crime and hard ones like finding a missing object but they fulfilled them all

They were very happy. They got things they never had before, a true home, a true family and proper birthday and Christmas presents.

As for their families, Count Lodes had a magic mirror to let them see what they wanted to see. What they found out was that their families had a little shock (somewhat pretended) of losing them (They joked that it was because there was no one to do chores) and they recovered maybe four days later

Now, we go back to them at 17 years old

"Hey Helena!" Neil screamed

"What?"

"Are Harry and Lachine back yet?" Neil asked

"I think not, why?" Helena asked

"Well, Lachine kind of borrowed my magical potion vial" Neil sarcastically said

"Shish! That mission sounded easy! All they had to do was find a missing cat" Helena said

"A cat that was apparently an animagus that broke too many showbiz laws" Neil grinned

Just then, a pop could be heard and Harry and Lachine appeared and their clothes appeared to be torn as if someone had clawed them

"Damn cat was so stubborn" Lachine grumbled

"Yeah, tore me apart" Harry grinned

"Back so soon?" Green appeared in front of them, sweating madly. The grounds can be apparated as long as you disappear and appear within the grounds. To get out and in was impossible. Too numerous covering and repelling spells were put. Harry and Lachine had to walk a distance, use a special password, endure every kind of security and enter

"Where were you? Training must have been over" Harry asked

"Oh, I was sent on a minor mission to retrieve something out of the lake. That lake is pretty deep" Green told them

"You were in water…and yet you're sweating" Lachine giggled

"Mutant thingies chased me out. I had to run the whole training grounds before I got hold of my wand…" Green pointedly said

"Has anyone seen Brian?" Helena asked

"I think he's in the library…" Neil's voice trailed off

"Thanks" And she ran off

Like the story says, they bonded like they were brothers and sisters

The next morning, while eating breakfast, Strum slammed open the doors of the hall and strode in. Strum rarely descended from his tower. This had to be important.

"It is time. The hour of darkness is near. You all must go" Strum gravely said and the teens looked clueless

"You need to get there even though its still early…You need to be prepared…There are those who are strong and pure of heart willing to fight by your side waiting there…" Strum continued and stopped abruptly, seeing the teens' confused faces

"What Strum means, is that the day of the second war is near and we must go to Hogwarts now because there are those on the side of light willing to fight with us" Marcia explained

"No…we don't need those Hogwarts people. We're perfectly capable of fighting…Just the six of us" Brian scornfully said

"Ah yes…but remember…the one who will deliver the final blow must be Ashley…she is at Hogwarts now and will insist that her close ones fight by her side" Luciana smartly said

"Unless those close ones aren't hiding from her wrath…" Harry disdainfully said and the room burst into laughter

"Good one bro!" Helena laughed

"I think he was being serious…" Neil told them and slowly, the laughter faded

"Strum is right you know…I hear Ashley's pretty spoiled and will faint at the sight of a measly spider…who knows what she might do when faced with Voldemort" Marcia giggled at the thought

"She'll probably run to her mommy" Lachine responded

"So pack your bags…we leave for Hogwarts in 2 days" The count smugly said

"It'll be like one big vacation!" Lachine squealed then she and Green did a high-five

"I don't think so…Once we'll be there, the training will still continue…it will be much harder" Luciana smirked and everyone groaned

"Now, wear your travel clothes on the way there" Marcia told them

The travel clothes were black robes with big sleeves and a hood. They may have looked like death eaters if the borders hadn't been colored the color of their animal guides, and the small picture of the animal guide was placed on the upper left portion so it was near their hearts. Under theme were clothes that were really comfortable but fit for a great combat

"But that's so warm-looking, the clothes!" Helena complained

"It won't be warm to where we're going" Neil told her

"How do you know?" Brian asked

"Well, my aunt went to Hogwarts and when she visits, she keeps gawping about how cold it is" Neil said

"Yeah…rumor is you have to wear turtlenecks on summer" Lachine piped up

"Enough with the chatter…" Marcia loudly said

"Now, Luciana, let them begin training as usual but cut off the history lessons today and tomorrow...they will have to pack…" Count Lodes addressed Luciana

"Right away…get changed, guys…" Luciana gave the count a salute then trooped out with the rest of the group

"I'd never thought I'd see the day when Count Lodes would be _encouraging_ cutting off a class" Brian chuckled. Brian had almost never changed. He was, as girls would call it, a he-thinks-he's-_that_-cute kind of guy. No fooling, Brian was handsome but sometimes too full of it. The proud 12 year old had formed into a thin yet lanky guy and like most red heads, temperamental, no offense.

"He is not encouraging it…Its just…he feels the need…" Lachine's looks spelled out 'popular girl'. She had grown from a cheerful 12 year old into a mature woman. Though, looks can be deceiving …she was well…sort of homely but not "nerd-smart". That title was meant for Neil

"I sort of wish it was ancient runes he cut out" Helena jumped in. Helena still remained her own _very_ (very) cheerful self. She had outgrown the magenta highlights and her hair was now a willowy brown

"Oh no…Runes is something you need to learn…especially for teens like…us" Green said. Her name said everything about her: an environmentalist. She miraculously tamed the wild brown hair she possessed when she was in her early teens and gave it dirty blonde streaks.

"We aren't really _that_ different from other teens, aren't we?" Neil asked. Neil, like Lachine, had deceiving looks. His looks were exotic (gold hair, violet eyes) but he was a know-it-all. The type of smart you get from nerds. But unlike other nerds, he looked good

"Oh sure…Every teen nowadays goes on dangerous missions, wakes up early for hard-core training, lives in a vast manor and has his own house elf…it's the fad…" Harry sarcastically said. Harry was the one who had really matured both physically and mentally. The dull, murky green eyes transformed into shining, sparkling emerald ones. He retained his awful eyesight though. His arms were moderately muscular and he had abs, his build, kind of lanky and his hair, wild and messy and never-going-to-stay-flat as ever.

They got changed into their training clothes and got started

--

"…_Oh no! I will not let some good-for-nothing kids fight by my side. Voldie's my battle" Ashley stubbornly said, flipping her natural red hair with black streaks over her shoulder. Everything about her was weird from her hair to her eyes because one was green and one was brown. The girl had remained spoiled as ever. _

"_Ms. Potter, have you ever listened to Prof. Binns?" Dumbledore sighed as he asked the girl_

"_Why should I? I'm the girl-who-lived for goddamn Grindelwald's sake. I don't need to listen to some crazed old ghost." Ashley screamed_

_Dumbledore remained quite calm_

"_If you had listened…you will have heard about a school run by a man named Count Lodes. Who trains worthy people to be the greatest wizards of all? Well, every decade he gets a bunch of 12 year olds, brings him to a castle in which Hogwarts is just a quarter of it, and trains them and they go on different missions as part of their training. Do you read the Prophet? Of course you don't…all those surprise crime-solving are their jobs." Dumbledore began_

"_And I care…why?" She tapped her foot impatiently on the floor_

"_Because…these kids, now your age, are trained in wand less magic, wand magic, apparition, things beyond NEWT level, martial arts and whole lot more…Ms. Potter, these people can help you…don't worry, I promise you will have the final blow" Dumbledore nodded_

"_Good...I don't want them interfere" The girl snottily said_

"_You can't do everything on your own, Ashley. Even Merlin the great needed help" Dumbledore sighed_

"_Merlin never became immune to the killing curse" Retorted Ashley_

"_It was never said you were immune, Ashley. The sacrifice made the curse backfire. It is only Voldemort you will be immune to…not to other wizards who want your life" Dumbledore loudly said, signifying the conversation to be over_

Harry woke up. He had been having these kinds of dreams since 14. He guessed it was a twin thing. Whenever Ashley appeared in his dreams, anger was involved. He hoped Ashley wasn't able to see what has become of him in her dreams. That would cause trouble…


	4. If Only

**If Only**

"You have to be a speedy as light" Luciana cried out to them as she threw small balls to them and they had to catch them. Luciana used her powers so that the balls would be really fast. Just as the ball was nearing, Lachine caught it

"Then, you have to be as fierce as a hex" Luciana's hands emitted a big yellow, glowing ball. Brian swayed his palms and prevented it just as the ball was a half feet away

"You also have to be as observant as a hawk" Luciana disappeared and Neil's eyes narrowed. His leg moved to the left and it kicked an invisible something. Luciana then appeared

"You always have to be ready like squirrels ready for hibernation" Luciana screamed as she got her wand "_Sectusempara"_

Green then reached her wand

"_Expecto Patronum" _Green's wand emitted a dolphin swaying softly and absorbing the spell

"Be flexible as a stork" Luciana shouted. Luciana threw jinxes and Helena, with some major acrobatic moves, avoided them all

"Then, your mind must be in very good condition, at all times" Luciana bellowed. Luciana and Harry moved to a Karate stance. Harry put his left hand behind his back, made a move in which Luciana fell down. The only defense to that move was to pull the left hand

After all of them were done with the individual training, Luciana brushed off lint from her dress.

"Now, compared to the training you have here, the training the count will place upon you there will be much harder. Expect that" Luciana murmured

"Won't you be coming with us?" Neil asked

"Of course I will…now, finish up your packing. We leave first thing tomorrow" Luciana assured them

"How will we get there, we can't apparate" Lachine reasonably said

"I don't know what the count has up his sleeve. Don't bother asking Marcia, she doesn't know either" Luciana told them

--

"_They're going to be here already?" Ashley cried as she paced the floor on Dumbledore's office_

"_Are you sure they will be of assistance to us, Albus?" James respectively asked_

"_Yes…" Dumbledore said_

"_I don't want them here…this is stupid…" Ashley said but deep inside, Ashley didn't want them to be here because all attention would shift from her to these teens_

"_They will be arriving here tomorrow evening" Dumbledore replied_

"_Shall I tell everyone to wait outside tomorrow evening to welcome the guests?" McGonagall _

"_Yes. We must welcome them in the most fashionable way possible" Dumbledore nodded and the teacher walked out_

"_Are you sure it really is THE Count Lodes, Professor?" Lily asked_

"_Positive"_

--

"Rise and Shine everyone!" Marcia's voice echoed through a sort of magical intercom throughout the manor

"Its 5:45 am" Harry mumbled. He could hear his friends grumbling and complaining loudly

Harry took a hot shower and dressed in white, gray and black camouflage jeans and a black shirt with his animal guide on the right sleeve and the borders silver. He then swung the travel robed on his shoulder, shrunk his suitcase and left the room

Everyone outside was wearing the same thing as Harry. Except the color of their camouflage jeans was brown and black for Lachine, red and black for Brian, Orange and black for Green, purple and black for Neil then magenta and black for Helena. Their shirts were all black with the animal guides in the right sleeve and the color of their animal guides as borders. Everyone was carrying their travel robes.

They all headed down to breakfast where they saw Marcia and Luciana wearing cargo pants. Yellow for Luciana and green for Marcia. Their animal guides were placed on the chest part of their black sweater bordered with the color of their animal guides.

"Where's Count Lodes?" Harry asked

"He's preparing…come, sit and eat" Luciana told them and they sat down and, for the first time in months, ate without a word

Just then, the door burst open. Count Lodes was dressed very differently from them and his formal-looking black polo shirt and black pants contrasted their looks of combat-yet-casual look. A golden dragon was in the chest part of his shirt

"I trust you all had a…hasty evening?" The count asked. It was true. Not one of them slept soundly. Everyone kept waking up every hour or so thinking about Hogwarts.

The count sat down at his usual seat and ate, with the group watching him anxiously

"Don't worry, I'm not going to burst out" The count merrily said but the group retained their silence

"What is wrong with you lot!?" The count irritably demanded

"We're just anxious sir" Helene quietly said

"Anxious? You've never been _this_ anxious since your first mission" The count told them

"Except this isn't going to be like any mission we've ever done" Harry silently added

The count sighed

"Well, you can all be anxious here and never go to Hogwarts but put the anxiety aside and let's go!" The count reasonably said

Marcia and Luciana stood up. The teens looked at one another then they stood up.

"Now, before we leave, double check you luggage…in hopes you didn't forget a thing" Marcia said

The next 5 minutes were filled with nervous shrieks and trips up and down the stairs. Lachine had forgotten her favorite training shirt, Brian had forgotten his potion vial, Helena went back to retrieve her magic carpet, Green hurriedly got her pocket book, Neil had forgotten his spare wand and Harry sped up to get his invisibility cloak.

"Put on your travel robes" Luciana said. In the next minute, it looked like there was a small circle of death eaters with new uniforms…the borders were the color of their animal guides and the animal guides sewn on the chest-part.

Seeing everyone was ready, the Count brandished his hand and waved it in an unknowable fashion. Soon, there was a small blue tornado upon his palm. He let the tornado fly free and it grew bigger. The tornado swallowed them up….

--

"Everyone line up…they will be here any second" McGonagall shouted

Hogwarts students all lined up according to house and year level. Everyone seemed to be

Thinking. From excited first years, to anxious spawns-of-death-eaters, and on to wise

Students who found it hard to believe that Count Lodes and his _specialized _team were going to aid them in the war. But one Ashley Potter grumbled endlessly

"How can they be excited, we are as good as any of them" She screeched

"I don't know, the protégés of Count Lodes are very famous" Hermione told her _friend_

"Who asked you?" Ashley snootily said

"Cut it off, Potter" Ron said to his _friend_

"Shut up Ronald…" Ashley said. It was a chilly evening and the _Girl-Who-Lived_ didn't like sacrificing the time she should have had curled up beside the fire to welcome some dark-arts-fighter wannabes

Ashley went up front with Dumbledore (_That's where I belong, the front_) and his parents who had insisted on meeting them

Just then, a blue tornado spun up from nowhere and everyone watched with bated breath as the tornado landed slowly and faded away. Revealing 6 people the student's age and 3 older people. They were all dressed in differently bordered, hooded robes with strange colored animals upon their chests.

The one who looked oldest stepped up and removed his hood, revealing a middle-aged man with a warm smile

"Good evening Hogwarts, it's been long" The man said, looking up at the castle

"Too long, I'm afraid" Dumbledore seriously said as he and the man shook hands

"I am Count Lodes and with me is my wife Marcia, my assistant Luciana and my six protégés" The count loudly said as Luciana and Marcia removed their hoods.

"Would you mind to introduce your um…_protégés?_" Dumbledore said and everyone turned their eyes on the six

"Gladly…will you do the honors, Luciana…for you after all, are their watcher and you know them best" The count motioned to Luciana and the girl nodded

"First we have Shanty, she's as fast as a cheetah and specializes in weaponry…knives, arrows and the like" Luciana motioned to Lachine and she drew out her hood, revealing a girl with devilishly blue eyes and curly blonde-brown hair

"How do you do" Lachine or Shanty warmly said. Dumbledore slightly bowed his head in recognition

"Next we have Aerobe, he's the most daring of them all, an expert in flying objects such as carpets, brooms and self levitation" Brian, or Aerobe, removed his hood and gave the whole Hogwarts population a deathly glare. His red hair shined and his hazel eyes narrowing

"Pleased to meet you" He coldly said and Dumbledore raised his eyebrows

"We also have here Peron, the most trustworthy of the bunch, she's an expert on wand magic, there's possibly no spell known to wizards she hasn't mastered…" Luciana said

Peron or Green withdrew her hood

"Except of course the spell is new or foreign" Green smirked as she tossed her glossy brown hair from her shoulder

"Then we have Watts, the most observant of them all and maybe the best potion-brewer in all of Britain…he once whipped up the perfect Draught of the Living Dead blindfolded" Luciana told them all

Neil removed his hood and gave them all a salute. The violet eyes of his twinkled like never before and his golden mane easily danced with the wind

"Then we have Yale…the idealistic of the group, perfect in physical combat…acrobatics, boxing, kung-fu, you name it" Luciana said.

Helena stepped up and grinned.

"Last but never ever the least lets welcome Argon, the boy with the purest intentions, and he's an angel to demons and a demon to angels, specializing in wandless magic" Luciana said

Harry took his hood off and for a moment, his eyes and Ashley's eyes locked and he felt something whipping him down but he stood his ground. Everyone gasped, especially the Professors. Harry's green eyes just glinted with mischief and he ruffled his hair and it was messier than ever…

"I knew it!" Ashley screamed. Harry smirked

"Knew what?" Harry asked

"You're Harry, my good-for-nothing brother" Ashley accused

"Oh really, then why is my name Argon?" Harry asked

"I'd know those green eyes anywhere" Ashley shouted

"7 years since the controversy of the lost Potter grew down…its impossible you'd recognize him" Luciana butted in

Green stepped up and whispered something to Harry

"Maybe it's a twin thing" Peron whispered and she smirked

"Come to think of it…um…Argon, you look like what Harry would do in age 17" Lily Potter said

"I am not Harry Potter…please, who would want to be the sister of this brat?" Harry snarled

"Dumbledore I expected more from Hogwarts than just outbursts" Count Lodes said

"I am sorry…now, will the Head boy and Girl please escort the newcomers to their rooms" Dumbledore said. Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley stepped up and motioned to them

The group followed them inside the castle. Though the 3 adults stayed behind

Ron led the way and they heard the teens talk. Hermione was on the back

"…anyways, I'm so pissed off that training will have to continue here" Peron started

"I know, and I'm really mad that I couldn't bring my Wally" Aerobe said

Hermione decided to strike up a conversation.

"So, how do you like Hogwarts so far?" Hermione asked. Everyone stopped and looked at her. Hermione blushed

"Well, its….it will do…" Yale said

"I'm sorry about my friend Ashley…she's really…" Hermione didn't know how to end her statement

"Bratty"

"Bitchy"

"Snobby"

"Spoiled"

"Yes…your right" Ron said

"I understand the war we planned will be next week, what will you do in the remaining days?" Hermione asked

"Well, the Count said we'll continue our training here. Not just our physical training, also history, runes, potions, charms and the like" Shanty said

"Really, just like us then, except we don't have physical training…what do you study?" Hermione asked

"Everything!…we're almost done with Japanese potions, we're covering up Wizarding history of Sri Lanka, and Bohemian charms…we're also on the verge of beginning the southern praying mantis fighting style and finally, we're going to polish up our knowledge on the muggle history of Mongolia" Argon said

"Wow, your curriculum is tough, I'm surprised you don't have eye bags" Ron said, his eyes widening

"Well, we got taken into Count Lodes manor when we were 12, for the first 2 years, we had horrible eye bags. But now, we got used to it…waking up at 6 am is now a piece of cake" Watts assured them

"Six am? We don't get up till about 7:45!" Hermione shrieked

"Well, like you said, the standards are tough" Yale said

"I was like so mad because after all the missions we've been put through, you'd think we'd deserve a vacation" Peron pouted

"Missions?" Ron bewilderedly asked

"Yeah, we go on missions as part of what we learn, like solving crimes or finding missing objects" Aerobe braggingly said

"Oh my gosh!" Hermione was mighty impressed

"Oh look we're here!" Ron pointed to a portrait

"Now, the Hogwarts rooms are..." Hermione was cut off

"We know, some of the rooms in the manor are protected by portraits, walls and the like, they have passwords" Argon told them

"Well, the password is Lord Voldemort" Ron said

"Why?"

"Because no one really says his name" Hermione said

"Oh, Hermione, Ron, wait!" Yale shouted. The two spun around

"Since you two the heads, you must be well dang smart, if you want to, you could butt in our classes" Peron said

Hermione looked like everyday was Christmas

"SURE!" Hermione screamed

"We'll ask the headmaster tomorrow" Ron said and they went away

"Lord Voldemort"

The inside was like a presidential suite. There were 6 rooms but they did not equal to the splendor of their rooms on the manor

"What the hell?!" Harry cornered Green

"Harry, they seem nice" Green said

"You know I have dreams about Ashley, get this, they are her best friends!" Harry raged

"Oh my goodness" Neil said

"Why didn't you tell us?" Brian asked

"Did you expect me to tell you right then 'don't do that guys, they're Ashley's friends, they might figure out'" Harry asked

"I guess not" Helena said

"Okay, I'll just have to deal with it, let them attend our classes, but don't tell them anything, not even a measly hint" Harry calmed down

"Fine" Lachine said

They took it as a signal to got o bed

--

"_Hey Ashley, what do you think of the newcomers?" Lavender asked her roommate_

"_Well, Lav, did you see the one with the violet eyes, I totally dig exotic eyes" Parvati Patil said _

"_As if a smart guy who could whip up a potion blindfolded would be interested in you" Ashley snootily said_

"_I think she has a chance as anyone does" Lavender said_

"_Who asked you?" Ashley said_

"_Well, the three guys are too cute, and the girls' figures and faces are to die for" Parvati said_

"_I think I'm cuter than them" Ashley said_

"_Whatever" The two girls closed their curtains _

_--_


	5. The agreement

**No breaks**

Just as Harry was stretching up from his bed, he noticed that his body clock had gotten used to the early morning greetings and he didn't need an alarm. He chucked his green pillow down and saw a note on the table

_Get the gang up and ready at 7:30. Training will start as usual but we must visit Dumbledore _

_-Count Lodes_

The boy looked at the time and saw that it was still 6:10. He grinned and saw this as a reason to wake up his foster/adoptive siblings. He knew training would go on but why did they have to visit the old loon?

He conjured up a pair of cymbals as his mind mercilessly imagined the look on their faces when they got up.

Harry almost frolicked to the living room as he rang the cymbals

"EMERGENCY" He screamed over and over again. Some five minutes later the rest of them traipsed down to the living room

"Cut it out Harry, we got the note too…It's still six something!" Lachine yawned

"Yeah, give us a break…this is almost the latest we got up…_almost_" Brian said

"Hey, get changed and bath, we have lots to do before 7:30" Harry said and they slowly, very hastily, agreed and without a word, climbing back upstairs and he followed suit

He changed into a mix of training clothes and casual clothes, a not-so-tight silver shirt paired with black cargo pants, of course, with the animal guide sewn in his chest.

Harry sighed as he contemplated how he was going to get through these days. It was hard not talking about the past to his friends but facing the past? He felt like he needed a break to think things through

When he arrived downstairs, he saw that Helena and Neil were already there. Helena was sporting a pair of one-inch-above-the-knee denim shorts, a maroon blazer over a black tank top. Neil had purple sweat pants paired with a black tight shirt.

"Where are the rest?" Harry asked

"Lachine and Green are hogging the bathroom and Brian's choosing what shirt to wear" Neil said

"I told him not to wear any shirt…but then he said if he has girls eyeing him up, he won't be able to concentrate, how thick!"

Then, Lachine and Brian got downstairs. Brian had on khaki shorts and a loose red shirt. Lachine was in modest-but-stylish tennis black and white skirt and a brown polo shirt

"You do know we're going to training" Helena said

"Oh come on, I'm not that sluttish, I'm wearing my really little, very fresh, cotton shorts underneath "Lachine smiled and laughed

"What's keeping Green?" Harry asked

"I accidentally sprinkled some powder in her hair" Brian grinned evilly

"I'm here!" Green screamed as she came to view. She was wearing orange bell-bottom jeans that had real diamond studs and paired it with a glittery black and white shirt

They finished off their outfits by patting the animal guides sewn

They made their way outside on about 7:15. Just then, Luciana made their way over to them

"How do you know where we were?" Aerobe asked. Luciana raised an eyebrow

"You must have gotten used to him saying stupid things" Yale rolled her eyes

"Anyways, lets go, the count is already in Dumby's office" Luciana motioned to them and they followed

"Come on Luciana, the count must have been joking about the continued training!" Peron whined

"If it was a joke, he could have stopped you from carrying the training clothes, duh" Luciana giggled

"Oh man!" Watts sighed loudly

Just then, they came upon a gargoyle statue which seemed to be the passage

"Now if I could only remember the password…" Luciana tapped her chin

"Let me try…lets see, Stationery?" Shanty said but the gargoyle remained still and she pouted

"Me now, how about…Gummy Bears" Aerobe childishly said

"Stop wasting time…oh my lord!" Peron shouted as the gargoyle spun around to reveal a staircase. All of them kept looking from Aerobe to the staircase in awe

"See the genius in me, no need for applause people" Brian raised his hands and everyone rolled their eyes

"Yeah, all hail the king of the jungle" Yale said in mock admiration but Aerobe didn't pick up

"All hail the wonderful _moi_" Aerobe said as he scrunched up his nose but all of them laughed

They approached the door and instantly, it opened

"Ah, few minutes early, very good" Dumbledore implored. Shanty smirked

"Yeah, we had nothing better to do…" Peron rolled her eyes

"Well, now you have…you see, the count has been telling me that you want to continue your training here at Hogwarts" Dumbledore started. All their jaws dropped to the floor as all eyes turned to the count.

With Dumbledore looking back, the count mouthed "Play along" and they all quietly laughed

"Yeah, we really _want_ to" Yale said, stifling (and failing) to hold back a giggle. Sadly, the old wizard didn't pick up

"Very good, there's a thirst for education. I'm afraid I'm getting teary…I wish my students were this eager" Dumbledore smiled

"Yeah" Watts broadly said

"So I have arranged for you to have one of my classrooms and the lakeside grounds for your physical training…and also…I want to ask a favor of you…" Dumbledore slowly said. All of them groaned and gave the count half mock, half true death glares

"Ashley Potter, as you know, will be saving the world someday. I'm afraid she's in a lack of um…shape and experience to deal with it. I want you to train her..." Dumbledore continued

"Us…or the count?" Argon asked, dumbfounded

"You! I know Ms. Potter will be comfortable with people her age" Dumbledore said.

They all looked at Marcia with one last hope but Marcia gave them a look that plainly said "Agree or taste my wrath"

"Fine" They all chorused, shivering from the thought of Marcia out to get them…Urrgh!

Just then, the door slammed open to reveal none other than Ashley Potter followed by her parents the Ron and Hermione

"Do you have a reason for getting me up darn early?" Ashley grumbled

"Yes" Dumbledore said

"Then what is it?" Ashley madly asked, her eyes flaring

"Tell her" James nudged on the elbow while Lily rolled her eyes

"Honey, these…um…group is very special…" Lily said

"You mean retarded" Ashley snorted. Aerobe made a motion forward, clenched fists but Peron held his arm. He slowly yanked it out

"NO! They are very skilled and super smart! We want them to train you for the upcoming battle" Lily reasonably said

"Hell no!" Ashley screamed

"That is enough!" Dumbledore screamed. Everyone looked at him

"Forgive me, Lily and James…but I'm afraid, Ashley that weather you like it or you love it, you will train…Get the war started right here and Voldemort will be laughing his head at you" The count shouted. Ashley's mouth opened and closed

"Not that I don't like your fish impersonation and all but you really have to stop doing it, in case flies get to you" Shanty said which made the group laugh

"Cheers" Aerobe clenched his fist and opened them again and flies came out. Ashley screamed her head out and ran about

"Aerobe!" Luciana sternly said. Aerobe sadly flicked his fingers and they all disappeared

"How did you…?" Hermione was speechless

"Wandless magic…we mastered the flying-stuff-out-of-fists when we were 13" Peron said as they all watched Watts waving his palms as all the stuff Ashley broke while running about were fixed

"Cool" Ron said, awed

"So Ashley, you saw the things we did, some of them were mentioned last night when Luciana introduced us" Yale said

"And that was a bit flattering, even though really true" Shanty popped in

"The point is, we can teach you that stuff, I think" Peron said

"The question is, are you willing to train with us?" Argon asked, putting out his palm.

Ashley thought for a while, staring at Argon's palm. Her face looked confused and hurt.

Then, she shook Hands with Argon

"Deal"

The moment their hands met, it was like lightning hit Harry right on the chest and he felt something strangling him down but he retained himself. Ashley's face looked like she had been sentenced to a dementor's kiss after an excruciatingly painful Cruciaticus curse. Argon's eyes softened as he let go of her hand

"Let the training begin"

--

"_My Lord, if they train Ashley Potter, she will be so powerful that it wont make a difference who you fight" A snaky voice hissed_

"_Be careful Nagini; don't worry yourself with those silly thoughts…" The man said as he laughed cold-heartedly_

"_But my lord…" Nagini hissed_

"_I doubt Ashley will last 30 minutes on the training…with the crucial curriculum" The man said and the snake slithered to sleep _

--

"_You are not serious!" Lavender screamed just after Ashley finished her talk about training_

"_Dead serious! I'm training with them! There's also a thing about one of them, the one called 'Argon' or something…anyway, when we shook hands, it was like a lightning bolt found its way through my blood!" Ashley said, gasping_

"_That's what I feel when I see Terry Boot…you might just have a crush on him" Parvati said_

"_Speaking of crush, you're going to get near the violet eyes guy…what's his name again? Oh yeah, Watts" Lavender giggled and Ashley threw her a pillow_

"_Not a 'crush' type of feeling…its like a piece of my being was lost and when we shook hands it was returned…its like, a brotherly feeling" Ashley frowned and then giggled to herself_

"_Well, if you don't like him 'like him', I call dibs" Parvati screamed which made Ashley blow her a raspberry_

"_Speaking of them, do you notice their names are odd? Its like, it isn't them…and those weird colored animals on their every clothing…what's up with that?" Lavender asked_

"_Dunno, prolly some kinda fashion…beats me…I'll ask them 'ommorow!" Ashley was so sleepy her words got scrambled up. 5 seconds later, she was asleep as a log _

**--**

**How does everyone like the story so far? You know, I've got so many alerts and favorites to this story. It won't hurt to spare a quick review to tell me you love it. And in the case of flames, love your courage for saying those things. I'll try to improve. Just tell me what's right and what's wrong**

**Luv ya!**

_**Sassygirl93 **_


	6. Training begins

**A/N**

**Okay, so a lot of you are still confused over whose codename is whose and it's really a bit tiring on my part to put in like "bold for Harry" "italics for Green" and that sort of thing. So I'll make it easier. Some of you may have memorized it but others don't. So here they are**

**Argon Harry**

**Peron Green**

**Watts Neil**

**Aerobe Brian**

**Yale Helena**

**Shanty Lachine**

**Still confused? Well, nothing I can do…I have a busy life, you know!**

**--**

**Training Begins **

--

"For Christ's sake Argon, get the freaking' hell up!" Peron screamed as she strongly shook the sleeping figure of Harry

Harry winced as he rubbed his eyes. The sun wasn't fully risen yet…just as he was used to. It wasn't _that_ late as he thought it would be…so why the hell was Green punching his body just to get him up?

"What time is it?" He groggily asked

"It's about 7:45…the climate here's different, ya know!" Neil said, suddenly making his presence known

"7:45?! Why aren't you training right now?" Harry asked

"Well, we thought it would be fun to wait for you so that you yourself could torture Ashley!" Green giggled

"I thought this day would be delusional but put it that way then call it exciting!" Neil exclaimed

"Now come on and get dressed!!!" Green said. Leaving Harry to his thoughts, the two left the room and Harry took a shower and dressed up

They were all dressed quite the same. Loose shirts in the color of their animal guides paired with black jersey shorts, mini-shorts style for girls and knee lengths for boys. In their shirts, there was a black spot and inside that spot was sewn on the animal guide. They had been so used to change of climate because they had been to many places that it mattered not what they wore.

"Come on, the headmaster gave us the lakeside grounds to practice" Green said as she pushed Harry through the portrait hole

--

"What do you wear if you want to look pretty but not to eager, comfy but stylish and right for exercise?" Ashley asked herself.

It was the first time she had woken up at 7:10 if the reason was to cook up a great outfit. She needed her beauty sleep, Otherwise she'll look like a nerd that had been studying all night

The girl looked at her wardrobe and she for the first time in months, she admitted she had too many clothes brought in for Hogwarts. There was a silk top just to make others jealous, baggy jeans for something she couldn't remember, sunglasses for display and shoes that would never make out with the climate. Professor Dumbledore granted her a much larger wardrobe that all the others and she suddenly regretted accepting it

Just then, Hermione Granger came in the dorm

"Ashley, the headmaster wants you in 10 minutes" She said

"Eyes on the closet mudblood, how am I supposed to sift through these looking for something good?" Ashley snarled. Hermione sighed; she was used to Ashley treating her like this when she was in one of her moods

"It doesn't need to be something good, the headmaster said I could train too and it just took me 3 minutes to dress up!" Hermione said as she motioned to her outfit of a loose red shirt and a pair of gray sweatpants. Ashley looked at it like it was dog dropping

"That's because you never cared about your looks...and good luck on the training, who knows how you'll end up when you can even touch a broom handle without using gloves and running away the very next nanosecond" Ashley harshly said. Hermione blushed and looked very hurt while Ashley smirked

"Its you who must be wished luck, you can't even throw a decent jinx!" Hermione cried as she ran out. Ashley just rolled her eyes and took out a red tank top with silver sequins. Then, a pair of mini shorts. She knew she was going to freeze but that's why those cute boys bring jackets, right?

--

"Where the in Merlin's name is the girl?" Helena impatiently tapped her foot as she looked at Brian who was half-sleeping at his self-made bench

"Probably making her way through that large closet she's got" Harry muttered

"I know…Teen Witchlet even had a headline "Ashley's fashion secrets" and it was all about her wardrobe!" Lachine cried

Just then, Hermione and Ron came running towards them. They were dressed right for exercise and they looked tired

"Where is she?" Neil asked

"She's putting on makeup!" Ron loudly said

"Who needs makeup when you're goal is to sweat?" Harry asked

"Her" Hermione angrily said

"Are you sure you guys don't feel…chilly?" Ron asked as he eyed their legs

"We can adapt easily to climate change" Brian said

"Why don't we warm up first?" Helena asked

Hermione had attended muggle school and she knew warm ups. They started to stretch and jump around with the six doing extreme stunts. Ron was staring at them somewhat enviously

Just then, they saw a figure come up them. It was Ashley and she was walking slowly, like a model on a ramp

"Oy Potter, this isn't a fashion show, get here this instant!" Lachine screamed. Ashley's eyes widened and she looked shocked

"How dare you!" Ashley snarled

"She dares because she's faced things more than you can imagine...she's even done a combat with a death eater" Neil sneered.

"Are you serious? You do know we're going to do physical stuff!" Green snootily said as she eyed the outfit disdainfully

"Well, its too late, we better start" Harry said

Just then, Professor Dumbledore together with the count, the Potters and Luciana came by

"Will we be training them or you?" Brian asked

"No, Aerobe, we're just here to watch…" Luciana said with a mischievous glint in her eyes

"I think it's better if you take it step by step, Shanty, why dont you start with what you learned first….?" The count said

"Yes, since you are good at weaponry, why don't we start with that first?" Hermione chimed in

"How am I supposed to remember it? It was like….5 years ago!" Lachine pouted. She looked to her mates for support. Then, Aerobe looked her in the eye and patted his wrist

"Oh right!" Shanty grinned. The others (meaning Ashley and co.) looked at each other in mild interest

She shook out her wrist and a hazy blur of brown and black etched on her wrist. Lachine looked at it like she was seeking advice. Ashley raised her eyebrows

"The first thing we were taught was basic knife handling" Shanty said, facing them all

"Oh I don't need to learn that, I chop up things sometimes, mostly food" Ashley said, blowing at her nails. Neil looked boiling mad

"You imbecile!" Neil screamed

"Watts, fighting with crazy and stupid people makes you stupid and crazy too!" Peron patted his shoulder

"It's not about food cutting you idiot! It's about basic fighting moves using a blade!" Harry cried

"Oh, why didn't you say so?" Ashley rolled her eyes. The rest had to hold Brian back from lunging at her

"No, no! If it's so easy, let her try a simple move!" In a second, a dagger had appeared in Lachine's palm. The girl began twirling it and she made it look really easy

Helena conjured up a small knife and hastily gave it to Ashley who grabbed it. Ashley flickered her fingers with the blade and 2 seconds later, her hand was bleeding

"Oh my GOD!" Ashley screamed as she held up a bloody finger "Look what you did!"

"Well, if you weren't so full with pride, you could have avoided it!" Neil said as he watched Brian snap his fingers and the blood was gone

"Now will you listen to me?" Lachine tiredly asked

"Oh, she will!" Hermione said, looking at Ashley disdainfully

"Now, I know this'll sound weird but you have to humble yourself down and respect a knife" Lachine said

"Okay, I thought you guys were weird the moment I saw you, but you are way insane than I thought you were…who the hell respects a knife…when it just hurt me…" Ashley put on her puppy dog face which worked for nearly everyone. The group just laughed

"And what's so funny?"

"You sure do look pretty stupid trying to get a decent puppy dog pout" Brian screamed in laughter

"I'll show you a real puppy face pout" Lachine pouted and her eyes looked like it brimmed with tears. It was very convincing. Luciana, Dumbledore, Count Lodes and the Potter parents said all together "Aww" . Ashley looked mad.

"Anyway, back to whatever it was I was saying, you need to respect a knife. I mean, look at it. It looks so shiny and gleaming but it can slit your throats less than a second"

Shanty stroked the blade with a tinge of fondness in her eyes

They stood there listening to the girl making a speech about strokes. After that, she and Harry had a combat in which the last move was Lachine's knife was on Harry's throat and Harry's blade was on Lachine's stomach

"A tie" Neil simply said. Both of them stood up and shook hands

Then Luciana interrupted and made them do 10 laps of running around the lake, 25 push ups, 15 leg-ups and sit-ups, 13 gymnastic moves (In which Ashley looked like a stumbling goon) and she had Ashley, Hermione and Ron to sit down and got through the usual training on the group

After that, they all moved to the classroom and Luciana began teaching them the wizard history of Sri Lanka

After the lessons, Ashley, Ron and Hermione were…um…actually…tired couldn't even begin to describe the state they were in

"Of all the places, Sri Lanka? I mean, isn't that the country that started the muggle disease SARS?"

"No Ashley, Sri Lanka didn't start it…a magazine said it was a Mongoloid race" Hermione said, very bored

"I actually think its fascinating to learn about history of other countries" Ron said

"That's great Ron, and all this time I found you sleeping at Binns' classes" Hermione smiled

"They have a very tough curriculum" Ashley said

"Well, they have solved many crimes…" Hermione wondered

"And to think, we're going to do it everyday" Ron happily said.

At Ron's words, Ashley promptly fainted. The frantic voices of Ron and Hermione were the last thing she heard as she slowly fell to deep oblivion

--

"_I told you the girl wouldn't last 3 days" Voldemort cruelly laughed_

"_Look at her, master, she's frailer than a newborn worm" Lucius insulted_

"_We are assured of victory" McNair sneered at the sight of Ashley_

--

**A/N**

**Happy Holidays everyone. **_**This is the last update I will make till the end of the yuletide season**_**. I'm going to update in the **_**middle of January**_** because exams are next week and I still have to pack for our vacation. And no, there is **_**no WiFi**_** where we are going to the laptop's a no-no and I **_**don't like to write stories in vacation time**_**. It would be too…busy-looking. Its VACATION people!**

**Merry Christmas!**


	7. The dirty way

**The Dirty Way**

"There's something on that Argon guy and I can't put my finger on it…it's like he was a ghost from the past" Ashley said as she held her pillow to her chest

"You can't possibly have seen him before…except on their so called "missions" I think they don't get out much" Lavender said

"Yes…they looked like they're the secluded types…you know, elite and exclusive" Parvati said while brushing her hair

"But still, there's just a feeling…" Ashley trailed off

"Shrug it off…you may be having your first crush" Lavender smiled

"No…no…not that kind of feeling…bah! I can't explain it" Ashley potted

"Crush" Parvati concluded. Ashley just sighed.

She knew there was an unsaid something about the guy and she was going to find out. First the easy way, if that didn't work, the hard way and if she still didn't succeed, the dirty way, which never failed

--

"I think she's on to us…especially you, Harry, we better watch out if we don't want to blow our cover" Neil told Harry as they watched Green and Brian having an argument about Hogwart's fried fish sticks

"Oh please, that girl isn't even on to the fact that since we arrived, there has been a rat sleeping beside her each night courtesy of Helena. I've watched her a few minutes and she sleeps talks and cuddles it" Lachine snorted, suddenly entering into the conversation

"But I can't help the feeling that she has a bond with Harry" Neil said

"Bond? No way!" Harry snarled

"You can see into her life clearly and maybe that's because you have developed powers, with her, it's just a blurry vision or something because her powers are not being used" Neil argued

"You are twins Harry! Do you even know that some of the greatest troublemakers, pranksters, and famous people are twins? They share a special bond that only twins can have…it's like they can read each other's minds or feel the presence of the other" Lachine reasonably said

"I have to admit that there is a bond between twins. That's why when we shook hands, there was like a bolt of lightning up my veins and she looked deathly stricken…but read each other's minds? Get off your rocker…that wouldn't happen. My mind shields are closed every time we're with her, thank you very much" Harry proudly said

"If you say so…" Neil sing-songed

--

Ashley's plan was slowly beginning to unfold. She would simply ask one of the girls who their parents were and their history. Then if that didn't work, she would corner one of them and threaten them until she knew stuff about Argon. If that didn't work out, she would stay behind, grab one of the boys, do her "thing" and smile at her victory

"No boy in this world could be immune to my…um…tricks…I'll have the answer out in a jiffy" Ashley said to herself almost devilishly

--

Harry sat upright in his chair suddenly. He was comfortably curled on a relaxing armchair enjoying the heat of the fire when out of the blue, something like lighting was surging through him trying to get a blurry, very unclear message across…it was a warning of some sort…that something sinister was about to happen

"What's wrong?" Green asked as she let five mugs of hot cocoa float around so that it would be distributed not messily

"Yeah…one moment you were sitting in peace…something has got to be up!" Brian stood up

"Yeah…it kind of disrupted the serene aura surrounding us…" Helena whispered as she poked the marshmallows in her drink with a candy cane

"Something just went through me trying to get a message across…more like a warning…this isn't the first time this happened" Harry said

"Yeah…your instincts are sensitive, Harry…we best be on to lookout…I mean…Ashley's on to us" Lachine said

"She's too stupid to be on to anything. But your right…we see her everyday so we have to try not to slip up" Neil said

"Why don't we just go to sleep" Harry irritably said as he stood up, accidentally knocking off his mug. Brown liquid seeped through the white carpets but no one seemed to care.

--

The next day, Ashley showed up in the most sexy, inappropriate clothing to training. She thought it would be essential to her plan. When the boys stifled laughs, she thought it was because they wanted more…but they were actually teasing. Even Hermione and Ron were speechless.

The training was just about the same from yesterday. They did laps, swimming, acrobatics and the like. Ashley did the work with an unnecessary shake of the butt. Good thing there were no adults around…excluding Luciana who merely frowned at her smutty ensemble

--

When it was all over, Ashley cornered Brian to a big tree near the main forbidden forest. Harry saw this and pulled Helena aside and they hid against a nearby tree

"So Aerobe…your teammates are really cool" Ashley said. She raised her leg so that her knee was against the tree trunk. It provided quite a heavy vision of her thong. Helena and Harry exchanged gagging looks

"Yeah…" Brian uneasily grinned and rumpled his hair. Ashley brought her fingers to his chest and her nails stroked it. Brian's eyes narrowed a bit

"You're the strongest and most handsome so far…look at those muscles!" Ashley continued. She moved closer to Brian

"Uh huh" Brian continued to look uneasy. He knew that if he ran off, Ashley would be suspicious. Harry got that and he and Helena just observed

"I'm really interested in knowing you all…you don't seem to be in any records at the ministry…your parentage or anything" Ashley said. She continued her sultry charade as she continued stroking him

"Well, our families…they um…" Brian was really uncomfortable. He didn't know what to say

"Starting with that Argon guy" Ashley whispered, but Harry and Helena heard. They had to act fast

"Hey Aerobe, help us look for Argon's compass" Helena shouted to him. She waved her arm. Brian heaved a sigh. He mouthed a "thanks" to them. Ashley looked boiling mad like she was about to burst

"Excuse me" Brian said to Ashley. Ashley frowned and marched off the scene.

"Thank you!" Brian grinned to them both

"No problem…we look out for each other" Helena said

"She's on to us man" Brian told Harry

"We better be careful…let's warn everyone" They all sped to their room.

--

"Aaaah!" Ashley screamed into her pillow. She felt so humiliated that she didn't have the guts t go out

"Whoa, what happened to you?" Lavender asked her as she threw her book bag to the bed. Ashley was crying…her eyeliner was everywhere

"Aaah!" She just continued screaming. She had absolutely no intention on letting her dorm mates know.

"We better leave" Parvati whispered

--

Afraid that Ashley might try anything more, the three sprinted down Hogwarts onto their rooms. When they got there, they were so tired they sweat madly. The others looked at them weirdly

"What 'appened to you?" Lachine asked, her voice very groggy

"Guys…Ashley's on to us" Harry said

"Glad you finally see it my way" Neil proudly said

"No really, she cornered Brian a while ago. If he had ran off, it would have aroused suspicion…good thing we were there to save him" Helena said

"God that girl would stop at nothing…you really do have some kind of connection Harry" Lachine said

"We don't know what she really wants so it's best if we keep our mind shields on in case she's learning occlumency. Although she's stupid, Dumbledore might have thought it essential to have her learn that" Green worriedly said

"Well, this just keeps getting better and better" Harry sarcastically said as he angrily stomped off to his room

--

"_She's going to the training but she isn't learning anything" Nagini said in a hissy voice, looking at her master who was seated in a large velvet chair_

"_Perhaps I over estimated her talents…she didn't inherit her mother's brains nether her father's wit" The man scoffed. He appeared to be showing disappointment_

"_She just got their stubborn personality…my lord, I believe this is working to our advantage" The snake spoke again_

"_We'll see" The man petted the snake and retired his head_

**--**

**As promised, I have updated. Christmas is officially over (at least the vacation part). And congrats to me, I did well on the exams! Yahoo! I hope you like the story so far. I'm thinking of doing a whole chapter of Luciana's past on a future (very future) update. I have my heart set on finishing this story and by your reviews; I keep getting my hands on the keyboards. Special thanks to those who reviewed and gave honest comments. Next update will be on JANUARY 11 2008. That's a promise. I'm working on a longer chapter and I hope it will satisfy you**

**Tell me what you think. Is it good, bad, needs grammar, needs detail…tell me because I know I can improve! Just tell me on what part. People keep on grumbling to themselves and not telling me what they think**

**Reviews keep me alive and if you want me to die…fine!**

**Review!**


	8. Acceptance

** Acceptance**

"He's cute, strong and versatile…maybe I am having my first crush" Ashley mused over her newfound discovery.

Ashley never had a crush. She thought boys were inferior to her and there was that fact that she intimidated every boy she met. She was intrigued by the fact that at seventh year, she never had a single date. True, she used to have an advice column 2 issues ago in Teen Witch and she gave boy advice. Those advices were just made up and overheard from her dorm mates. It won't be long till her batch mates noticed she's never been asked out before. Soon, she would lose respect and pride. She needed a boyfriend fast and the Argon guy was every bit perfect for her.

Just then, the door burst open and in entered Lavender and Parvati, doing their usual, giggling stuff. They threw their bags down and sat on their beds, talking

"Guys…I have a confession to make" Ashley said

"Oooh…this has to be good" Lavender looked at Parvati with gleaming eyes

"Before that, I have to say you were right" Ashley breathed out

"Come on!" Parvati urged

"Your right…I am having my first crush…On Argon" Ashley sighed

The next minute was filled with girly screams, gushes, giggles and pillow throwing. They laughed and laughed

"I know…you could totally ask him to the Thanksgiving ball Dumbledore's throwing!" Parvati suggested

"Me…ask a guy?" Ashley looked taken aback

"What are you talking about…your pretty and famous…any guy would kill for you" Lavender told her

"This isn't just _any_ guy…this guy is experienced in missions, has probably met a million baddies and is very talented" Ashley pointed out

"So…you saved the world" Lavender said

"He probably doesn't like me…he's never shown any interest…come to think of it…he hasn't been showing anything" Ashley shrugged

"Maybe he's playing hard-to-get…come on, they don't actually seem like the mushy gushy type who opens up" Parvati pointed out

"Ask him, Ask him, Ask him" Parvati chanted all over and over again

Ashley covered her ears and grinned

"All right…all right…I'll ask him…but just so you know, I'm doing this just to prove to you that this is just some school girl crush" Ashley pouted

"Yeah yeah" Lavender waved her hand

--

"Guys you wont believe what I just heard…you can be shocked at how fast gossip travels here" Green said, her breath panting

"What?" Brian asked

"Dumbledore's throwing a Thanksgiving ball" Green said as Helena and Lachine squealed. He boys blew raspberries at them

"That's all?" Neil disbelievingly asked

"Harry…you won't be happy when you hear this..." Green reluctantly said

"Come on…I can take whatever you have to say" Harry said

"Um…well…Ashley plans on asking someone to the ball…It's a guy I heard she likes" Green started

"Every guy must be hiding right now" Helena snorted

"Who's the poor doof?" Harry asked

"You" Green finished

"WHAT???" Harry stood up, shaking the table

"You may think of this disgusting but yeah…it's you" Green said

"Perfect…this is just the perfect way to humiliate her" Neil said

"By how? Saying you're my sister?" Brian asked

"Harry…this is a tough decision…I mean…she is your sister and all but…it would seem

Rude to her part if you didn't go" Lachine said

"Oh come on…this has to be illegal" Harry nervously laughed

"The world now knows you under a new name…its legal…biologically illegal…but…won't it hurt? You could just dance a song and go out of the room" Green said

"What…you're telling me to go to the ball with her? She's a moron!" Harry sputtered out

"It's up to you" Everyone muttered

--

The next day after training, Ashley timidly walked over to Argon. The rest of them left ahead while laughing. Harry scratched his head

"Hey" Ashley nervously said "Umm…yeah…hey" Argon uneasily said

"There's a ball coming up" Ashley started

"So I've heard" Harry muttered

"No one asked me yet" Ashley continued

"_That's hard to believe" Harry sarcastically thought_

"Has anyone asked you yet?" Ashley was beating around the bush

"None that I have known" Harry said

"Well…since no one has asked you and no one has asked me then…" Ashley paused

"Then what...?" Harry coolly said

"I was thinking maybe you would like to…you know…go with me" Ashley's face was tomato-red. Harry looked at her sincerely and suddenly felt something that he wouldn't like to embarrass her

"Fine" Harry rumpled up his hair, looking up at the sky

"Thanks. Bye" Ashley quickly said and ran off

--

News traveled around Hogwarts that Ashley was going to the ball with one of those "new kids". They weren't that surprised though. Few people could actually fit into _the _Ashley Potter's standards. However, the count and Luciana thought of it very…amusing

"By God Harry whatever happened to you?" Luciana said as she watched Countess Marcia laugh up.

"Oh come on…I'm not going to try some romantic relationship with her…she is my sister…I just felt sorry for her" Harry admitted

"Wait, so it's just a pity date?" Helena was very surprised

"Duh, you knew that" Brian rolled his eyes

"Well, I thought you went with her because you wanted to bridge up some gaps or something" Lachine said, keeping her eyes on the floor

"What is wrong with you girls…so it's a pity date…so what?" Neil asked

"She maybe obnoxious but she's still a girl…girls have feelings too…If I were her and I knew, I would beat you up to a pulp" Green told them

"Get this…SHE IS MY SISTER….WE ARE RELATED BY BLOOD" Harry shouted

"But still…" Helena started

"Still what? I went with her because I had a brotherly feeling not to embarrass her…seriously, even though I think she's dumb, she is my sister and well…" Harry didn't know how to finish his sentence

"You want to look out for her…better you to embarrass her than any other boy" The count softly said

"What…I…what?" Harry asked

"It's okay to feel that way Harry…" Marcia said

"I know…it's just weird" Harry said

--

"I can't believe I'm going to the ball with one of the best guys ever" Ashley squealed

"I can…your one of the best girls ever so you two match" Lavender said while painting her nails

"Oh shut up…" Ashley giggled and threw her a pillow, but missed

"Miss me…now you want to kiss me" Lavender teased

"So not" Ashley rolled her eyes

"Yeah…she wants to kiss Argon…not you" Parvati joked

"Uhh…Kiss?" Ashley sounded confused

"Don't tell me you're not going to try anything at the ball?" Parvati asked

"What do you mean try?" Ashley asked

"You know…" Lavender blew an air kiss.

"What?!" Ashley shouted

"You're not going to kiss him?" Parvati asked

"Kiss him, I barely know him!" Ashley cried

"Oh…we thought since you train with him that you…" Lavender sounded disappointed

"That we flirted all the time?! How you…guys, what we train for is serious business, defeating the dark lord, of course we don't pal around" Ashley angrily said

"Sorry" They muttered

"I'm going to bed" Ashley mumbled as she drew the curtains, covering her bed from the rest

Ashley heard her friends turn off the candles and the rustling of their curtains. She guessed they must have slept too. She felt really hurt. They thought Ashley just played around the training, that she couldn't be serious

"_I'll show them…I'll kill Voldemort…I'll prove I'm not worthless" _

--

**Okay. So Harry opens up that he (the least bit) cares. Ashley thinks about getting serious about the training. Do you think I should continue? Do you like it?**

**Next update on JANUARY 17 2007**

**Please review!**


	9. The Ball

**The Ball**

Harry couldn't believe he was going to a ball with his very own sister. Somehow it had to be illegal. But he had no choice. He had said yes. The damage was done.

The boys put on tuxedos and the girls spaghetti strap silk dresses that reached their ankles. The girls had some kind of belt that matched the dress and the belt pendant was their animal guide and their hair was let down. While for the boys, their animal guide was worn as a brooch. The dresses of the girls and the ties of the boys were according to the color of their animal guide. The footwear of the girls were flat sandals and the straps were the color of their animal guide and the boys black, very shiny, leather shoes

"Okay people, Headmaster Dumbledore is very generous in giving a ball in honor of our arrival. I expect you all to be on your best behavior. Especially you, Harry who is in a very…um…difficult position. Please do not reveal anything" The count said to them all. Everyone looked at Harry and laughed instantly

"Oh Great" Harry mumbled to himself as he exited the portrait hole

"Good luck mate" Brian clamped his hand to Harry's shoulder

"May the force be with you" Green gave Harry a salute then giggled with the girls

--

Ashley Potter was…frantic. This was the first time anyone saw her so nervous. She kept bustling around the common room looking for various jewelry and makeup that she lost a long time ago, didn't bother to care it was lost until now she decided she needed it .

She actually looked very beautiful in a short puff sleeve maroon velvet dress that reached one inch above the floor. Her hair was very pretty. It was in a simple ponytail held by a diamond clip with curls dangling onto her face; it was very nice since her hair was a natural red with natural black streaks. Her dainty feet were adorned with silver kitten sandals encrusted with real diamonds

"Just a bit of gloss and….perfect" Ashley muttered to herself while applying lip gloss in front of her mirror. Though going with Argon, she still felt that deep inside, it wasn't a crush feeling. She just shrugged it off. She then concentrated on criticizing every single microscopic little thing about her appearance.

"You look ahh-mazing Ashley!" Lavender complemented her. Lavender didn't look bad too. She was in a tube blue dress that reached her knee. Her hair was let down.

"Like a goddess" Parvati agreed. Parvati looked nice in a simple peach satin dress

"Truth be told, you don't look bad yourselves" Ashley giggled. What she just said was a complement and that didn't happen a lot

"Let's go!" Lavender cried as they exited the room excitedly. Ashley quickly grabbed her purple purse and scurried after the two

--

As planned, they met near the Great Hall entrance. Harry was scuffling his hair in a bored 'I'm-way-too-mature-to-be-here' fashion. He could tell this was going to be a really awkward night, at least on his part. His friends had left him there ages ago, having found dance partners.

"Where is that girl?" Harry muttered to himself. He was beginning to feel stupid. People were looking at him in a mocking, pitying manner, like he was lonely and had no date or even worse, got stood up.

"Hey Argon" Tinkled a voice. Harry spun around to see it was Ashley. She looked very beautiful, and Harry's mood began to lighten

"Hi Ashley, you look nice" Harry truthfully said. He could see she put so much effort into dressing that he didn't want to put her down. Plus it was the most modest the gang had seen her with

Your sister looks great" Neil whispered as he passed by Harry with his dance partner holding his hand

"It runs in the family" Harry proudly whispered back. Harry was proud. After all, they were flesh and blood

"Lets go" Ashley urged. Harry held her hand not in a romantic way but in a brotherly, protective fashion. After years of hating her memory, Harry felt he missed her.

They went inside and the Great Hall looked magnificent. There were glass tables everywhere and a large buffet table that covered a full quarter of the room. The dance floor was full of dancers swishing around to a smooth jazz music. The never melting icicles stood majestically in the sides. Colorful lights filled the entire room and everything looked very joyous

Harry and Ashley settled down then got some food from the majestic buffet. The food was beyond delicious. Harry felt very thankful to Dumbledore for throwing them this ball. He saw a new side in Dumbledore. He went through all this trouble just to make them welcome. That was a great thing to do. Harry felt very welcome indeed

Ashley got everything that looked decent to her and Harry got everything that he hadn't tasted during his travels, which left him a couple of choices. Harry then wandlessly levitated their foods to their table.

"Thanks for doing that. I couldn't have carried it by myself. I hope you haven't noticed my food, it's a lot for a girl, some people think its weird, mainly boys that I eat a lot" Ashley confessed

"You aren't fat" Harry joked "Why should people think its weird? My teammates eat lie pigs"

"They think girls just have to be thin and pretty. Oh yeah, I have fast metabolism too, that's why I don't have a big tummy" Ashley patted her stomach

After they ate a hearty dinner, Harry observed the dancers. Somehow, he felt like he wanted to dance. Maybe it was the music which hypnotized him

"You know how to dance?" Harry asked

"Truth be told, not a clue" Ashley giggled

"I'll show you" Harry offered his hand and she reluctantly took it. Harry then led her to the center

They danced very gracefully. Ashley seemed pretty fine for a first timer. Harry led the dance but didn't make the steps too complicated for her. They swayed, turned and spun around. The song beat was perfect for the night. And the lights glowed like a dream. Everything seemed to glitter on this glorious occasion.

"See, I told you that you could do it" Harry knowingly said after the song was finished

"I never knew I could dance, hey they decorated the courtyard too; want to go for a walk?" Ashley asked, pointing outside. Harry nodded and let her take his hand. She then tugged his hand and led him outside

The outside was beautiful. There were many Crystal gazebos, a grand fountain, colorful lanterns that hung on the trees and flower studded walkways. Harry was really amazed at the courtyard's complete transformation

Ashley sat down at a bench near the fountain and Harry followed suit, silently admiring the decorations. Harry noticed her hair was standing up because it was cold. Harry had that thing in his body too. They really were more alike than they thought.

Feeling the need, Harry took off his jacket and wrapped it around his sister

"Are you having fun?" Ashley asked

"Sort of" Harry replied

"The ball is in your honor" She continued

"I am really amazed at that" Harry said

"You know, suddenly I'm reminded of my brother when I see you. I really liked him, even though I was a bit mean to him when we were kids" Ashley opened up

"A bit?" Harry asked

"Okay I was really mean. But in truth, I really loved my brother. He was my playmate and my protector. One time some muggle kids pulled my pigtails and he punched their arms. I really was thankful to him for that" Ashley said

"How did you feel when he disappeared?" Harry asked, suddenly reminded of that memory. He was somewhat amazed that the memory was carved in her mind all these years

"I felt lost. For a while I felt alone. There was no one to play with, to run around with and to actually…make fun of. I was kind of mad at mom and dad. They seemed not to care. I wanted to voice out 'he's your own frickin' son and you don't care?' I mean what kind of parents are you?" Ashley frowned at her reflection at the water.

"But you kept quiet" Harry softly dipped his hands in the water

"Yes, I did. That was the biggest mistake I ever made. I mean, now I realize my mistakes, that how much I needed my brother. Without him, I couldn't recite ABC's or add one plus one. He taught me basic education. Truth be told, he was a bit smarter for his age" Ashley's mind fawned over her memory

"Go on" Harry urged

"I think he was under the impression I hated him. After I did bad things to him, I'd always leave something on his doorstep. He'd end up stepping on it and I'd snicker. Dad would always beat him up, thinking he did it on purpose to destroy my stuff; I never stood up for him." Ashley sighed

Harry smiled at the revelations Ashley was giving. Everything was true, how he'd teach her, how she'd give trinkets and how his father beat him. He was speechless

"I knew he was neglected. I just thought I needed special attention that's why I never spoke out. He really hurt my feelings when he ran away. I cried myself to bed that night, you know. I know I will never see him again" Ashley's eyes were brimming with tears

"Ashley, let me ask you this. What would you do if you saw him again?" Harry asked

"I would jump out and hug him till forever. I would tell him I'm sorry and I'll cherish every moment with him. I know It will never happen but its fun to dream" Ashley happily said. Harry knew she was telling the truth because of the tears running down her soft rosy cheeks

"I know, it is. Wherever Harry Potter is right now, I'm sure he misses you" Harry patted her shoulder

"How do you know, he hates my guts" Ashley said

"Trust me hr knows" Harry said.

"Do you think he'll forgive me?" Ashley asked softly

"I think he already did" Harry told her

"_As of five seconds ago, he already forgave her" _Harry thought to himself

"You know, there's something about you that makes me open up. No one, not even my parents, my friends or Dumbledore has ever done that. I fed them will lies about my feelings but what I told you was 100 percent true. I just feel open to you, I don't know why, maybe it's because of your resemblance to Harry" Ashley said

"Maybe it is, maybe it isn't" Harry said, wanting to keep things neutral

"You are probably going to laugh when I say this, but my friends think I have a crush on you. For a while I thought about it but what I feel for you isn't romance, it's like, a brotherly feeling, like someone part of you" Ashley put her hand to her heart. Harry laughed

"You have no idea! For now, let's just be friends" Harry offered his hand up for a shake

"Friends" Ashley said. Then, Ashley did something she never forgot. She gave him a big, bear hug.

"Will everybody please come inside" A booming voice shook the serene silence. It was time for Dumbledore's speech. Harry and Ashley both shuffled inside, away from the cold

It took a long while to get everyone gathered around the stage. They seemed to have gone to a lot of places. Once everyone was settled, Dumbledore started his speech

"First I would like to say welcome to this glorious thanksgiving occasion. We are having a thanksgiving for the coming of our new comrades in fighting Voldemort. It is a thanksgiving to the new friendships, new allies and that they are teaching our very own savior of light, Ashley Potter, everything they know to help her defeat Voldemort once and for all" Dumbledore's voice was heard clearly everywhere and his speech was met with a tremendous applause.

"For now let us just enjoy this majestic night. This night of stars, music and glimmer. Enjoy it, make every moment of it worthwhile. Cherish the memories. Once again, welcome"

Dumbledore's speech didn't signal the end of the occasion. But it was a meaning that the students could either go and retire to bed or enjoy the rest of the night. Others were already leaving and others seems to just have started the party

"You tired?" Harry asked as he heard Ashley yawn

"Yeah" Ashley said

"Come on, I'm tired too, let's go to bed" Harry suggested. Ashley nodded and they both set off to their rooms

"See you at training" Ashley muttered as she walked up the stairs

"Yeah" Harry said

"_Sweet dreams sister, sweet dreams"_

--

**Now what do we get? I have officially established that I absolutely have no intention of letting this be incest. Ashley opens up her heart and how she really feels about Harry. Okay, how do we like her now?**

**Next update on JANUARY 22 2008**

**Should I continue? Only if you like it!!!**


	10. Operation DE

**Operation D.E**

As expected, training continued the very next day. Since the ball, Ashley became somewhat more civil and decent, especially in dressing. She was decked in just a simple pink shirt and blue sailor jeans. In that ensemble, the gang treated her nicer.

"So Argon, spill the beans on last night" Helena and Brian cornered Harry on a tree

"Did she try a move on you?" Brian wiggled his eyebrows

"No, we're friends now" Harry muttered

"No way" Helena said

"Yes way. She told me she was sad when Harry Potter left home. She told me she really did care for him even though she kept quiet" Harry mumbled

"So that's it? You forgive her? Argon permit me to say this but I think you're going soft" Brian said, his eyes full of concern

"What! I haven't gone soft" Harry pushed Brian's shoulder

"Yeah, you used to be so cold and hated her with all your guts, over a night people cant change" Helena said

"When we were young over night we changed from being beat up kids to being powerful people with a new identity" Harry pointed out

"True, but this is different" Brian said

"How is this different? I forgave her overnight just like I escaped home overnight." Harry said and he stomped off from the scene angrily

He walked over to the training grounds grumpily and bumped into none other that Ashley

"Hey, what's wrong?" Ashley asked

"Nothing" He didn't want to discuss this right now

"Come on, tell me" Ashley tugged on his arm

"Look just because you and I bridged some gaps doesn't mean we're the best of friends!" Harry shouted at her.

"Its because of your friends isn't it?" Ashley sadly asked

"None of your business, get out of my way" Harry pushed her away and stalked off

"You know, for a moment there, I actually thought we could have been the best of friends" Ashley tearfully said

"Well guess what? You thought wrong" Harry spat down and jogged off, leaving Ashley to cry all by herself

Harry's conscience caught up with him 10 seconds later while jogging around the lake. He felt bad for treating his sister badly. None of it was her fault and she was just trying to be polite. He stopped and looked at his reflection at the water

"_I'm not going soft, just because I've made a new friend doesn't mean I'm going soft. I'm still the old, rough going Argon." _

"_She didn't deserve to be treated that way. She's your sister, she cares about you" _

"_No, she cares about Argon. She asked how Argon was doing"_

"_Why are Helena and Brian dong this?"_

"_You've got to go and apologize"_

"_Then they'll say I'm going soft again"_

"_Who Cares?"_

Harry's mind and his conscience were in a fierce battle. He considered all options and decided to say sorry to Ashley. Who cares what they all thought? They didn't know how he felt

Just then, he heard the voice of Dumbledore rallying them up. Harry ran over to him

"Sit down, we have important news to tell you" Dumbledore announced. Everyone sat down. Harry tried to catch Ashley's eyes but she kept her eyes fixed on the grass. Harry angrily faced Dumbledore

"Now, the order has found out about a secret death eater base camp 20 miles northwest of Hogsmeade." Dumbledore started

"It is very much necessary to infiltrate it so as foreplay to the final battle, I have decided to let you all go on and destroy the base" Dumbledore beamed

"Meaning the six of us, right?" Lachine asked

"No, I mean to include your three new comrades" Dumbledore said

"Don't you think it's quite risky to let Ashley go along?" Green asked

"No, I can do it" Ashley coldly said

"No way, we can't take that risk" Harry angrily said

"Yes, if she gets caught then it's all over" Hermione said

"I won't get caught" Ashley fought back

"You haven't been as much um…active in training…you can't go!" Neil furiously said

"I will go. It's my fault they have a base near Hogwarts. I will go" Ashley said. Everyone knew it was a done deal.

"That's the spirit" Dumbledore jovially said

--

"You can't really be letting her go!" Harry argued with Count Lodes when they were safely back in their rooms

"Actually my first idea was just the six of you. You know Dumbledore; he wants glory for the school. He said it was _his _order who found out so I couldn't do anything" The count said

"Sir, you know how Ashley is, I couldn't be surprised if her foot can get caught in a mud puddle" Neil said

"Sir the whole point of this is preserving her for the final battle, this goes against everything we've been preparing for" Lachine cried

"I can't do anything now" The count said

"You have got to find a way. She'll jeopardize the whole mission" Green said

"We can get this over with in a flash. She'll slow us down" Brian said

"I'm sorry. You just have to make do with what you have" The count stated, signifying the conversation to be over

"But…"

"You will be briefed on the mission tomorrow at Dumbledore's office. Good day" The count said as he walked out of the room

"He can't really be serious?" Brian asked Luciana

"I'm afraid he is. As it turns out, Dumbledore wanted his order to go to the base. The count said you were up for the job and Dumbledore agreed on the condition that you take her with you" Luciana sighed

"This is plain stupidity" Green cried

"I don't know what's gotten on Dumbledore, doesn't he see the risk?" Harry asked

"No, I'm afraid there's more matters on his head right now, like the coming battle" Luciana said and she followed the count outside

--

"So you're really going to bash some death eaters?" Lavender asked

"Yeah" Ashley sighed

"That's so cool, so why don't you look happy?" Parvati inquired

"I just had a bad day" Ashley frowned. She didn't want her friends to know all about her big fuss with Argon

"Well, get all the badness away! You're going to be fighting some baddies! Cheer up" Lavender urged

"A battle where blood is spilled has nothing to be cheery about" Muttered Ashley

"When it's death eater blood, you can spill all you want" Parvati joked and Ashley stared at her really long

"What is the matter with you Ashley? Two days ago you would have jumped all over the castle for a chance like this" Lavender stopped her walking

"Nothing" Ashley mumbled

"It's never anything"Parvati said"Its Argon right?"

"How'd you know?" Ashley took her friends for complete simpletons but how did they know?

"I'm a real reader! I know how to tell a girl's face when it's a guy problem" Parvati proudly said

"I wouldn't call it a _real_ boy problem" Ashley muttered

"What happened? Last night you were all gushy about his and your _friendship_ and now…what has happened?" Lavender stomped her foot

"We had a fight. I asked him what's wrong and he told me to back off" Ashley screamed, tears spilling all over her face

"Oh" Was all they said

"I thought we were okay. But now I know he just pitied me. It's so wrong!" Ashley continued her rant

"Now that I'm approaching an exciting moment in my life he _had_ to just piss me off" Ashley cried

"I know what you could do" Parvati whispered

"What?" Ashley softly said

"Make peace" Lavender said

"What?"

"You and he settle some things! You'll never finish this mission successfully if you have a wall between you" Parvati said

"Your right, but I don't do the making peace, I never do! I'm Ashley Potter and I say he's the one who has to apologize"

--

The next day…

"Okay, what's this mission you told us about?" Harry rudely asked Dumbledore

"My order has found a death eater base not that far from Hogsmeade." Dumbledore said

"Yes, yes, and you want us to infiltrate it…. Give us details!" Brian said

"Fine, the entrance is a giant oak tree. Three of you have to stand guard outside while the rest of you go in. There are about 4 death eaters residing in the hideout so you have to be ready" Dumbledore said

He flicked his wand and out came a map of the forest. There was the oak tree and behind it, the hideout. He gave his wand another flick and then names formed in the map. That was their positions. The mission was fairly easy

"The most important thing is that no one gets left behind" Dumbledore gravely said

"We'll do our best not to" Lachine loudly hissed, looking pointedly straight at Ashley, who slightly squirmed in discomfort

--

"This reeks! The first mission in days and we have to be accompanied by a bozo" Helena grumpily said

"Lighten up, at least we get some hands on experience" Neil playfully slapped her shoulder

"It'll be hands-off when she comes along" Harry joked while putting away some of his things in a shelf

"Look, we just have to look at the bright side. She can be used as distraction" Brian gleefully said

"Some kind of distraction! Distractions are supposed to be agile, flexible people who can run!" Lachine huffed

"Running for her is walking briskly in heels" Green rolled her eyes

"Which means we're done and so doomed even before the mission has started" Harry loudly said, which made everyone look his way and nod

"Oh my god, it will be like the first time in 5 years I will be likely to lose a mission" Helena said in a panicked manner

"Tell me about it" Neil muttered

"We best get some sleep, who knows what time the mission will go start?" Luciana called to them all

--

"Okay, these are the things we put in your sports bag for the mission" Lavender pushed a piece of parchment close to Ashley's nose

"Sun block, insect repellant, extra socks, lip gloss, fan, a pocketknife, wallet, camera, active drink, extra shirt, extra pants, blush on, foundation, mirror, hair shine, health comb, head band and a magazine in case you get bored" Ashley read off the things in the parchment

"So, what do you think?" Parvati asked

"I think I'm ready. I just need to throw in my perfume and I am all set" Ashley smiled

"The question now is what to wear?" Lavender asked. Ashley looked horrified. She had been so busy she _actually _forgot to pick what to wear!

"They said black or some other camouflage color" Ashley said calmly

"Then we shall look"

The next few minutes they spent looking through Ashley's wardrobe. They tried things on and took it off, never satisfied. At last, they came upon a great outfit. It was a black cashmere sweater paired with pink and brown camouflage cargo pants. The shoes were green pump shoes

"You look darling" Lavender gushed

"Yeah, totally chic" Parvati agreed

"Sassy yet dangerous" Ashley put on a pair of black sunglasses and observed herself in the mirror. She held out her hand and Parvati handed her a pink sports bag

"You're totally ready" Lavender nodded

"I know, now I just need some beauty sleep" She put on her baby blue glittery eye mask and blew off the candlelight

"Yeah, rule number one in beauty says that you need to look your best every time because you don't know what or _who_ may come along" Parvati said and winked

"Yeah…wait! Isn't that the number one rule in life?" Ashley lifted off her eye mask in a shocked way

"Oh yeah! I totally forgot" Lavender put her palm to her mouth

"Lets get some shut-eye" Ashley said and she closed her bedpost curtains

"Night"

--

"_My Lord, what are we going to do, we have to preserve that base" A snake hissed as it put its head on a man's lap_

"_I already told everyone to set up defenses. There may be a fuss but we'll surely win it" The man confidently said_

"_You can't be too sure" The snake said_

"_This time, I can" The man grinned evilly _

_--_

**A/N**

**I know. This isn't my best chapter! I know! It's kind of poorly written! Bash all you want! But keep it decent! I've been really busy so I'm sorry if this is all I can give. Do you think I should stop updating? **

**Anyway, in case you like my story, next update is on ****JANUARY 31 2008****. Sorry for the long wait but so many projects are piled up. **

**Please Review!**


	11. Jungle

**Jungle**

"Oh Merlin please tell me she isn't serious" Green gently covered her face with her palm and shook her head. They were at the courtyard warming up for the trip. Lachine was shining her daggers while Neil examined tiny vials of potions right near her. It was like a typical mission. Until _she_ walked in

They were all waiting for Ashley to arrive. She was late and the mission was already delayed. Now, seeing her ensemble, it seemed it had to be delayed much more. As Ashley approached, everyone seemed to be showing signs of disappointment

"Potter, don't tell me you're bringing all that!" Brian cried out

"What?" Ashley looked very shocked

"Are all those things really necessary, I mean, we're going to have to be quick and…" Helena couldn't bring herself to finish her sentence

Suddenly, Neil lifted his hand up and Ashley's sports bag flew over by him and dumped its contents by itself. Out poured all things she brought

"What is all this stuff?" Lachine disbelievingly asked

"Guess I know how to really pack…unlike you…" Ashley looked disdainfully at Lachine. Lachine then prepared to lunge herself at Ashley when Harry quickly put his arm in front of her

"Easy there leopard, she might not be quick enough to escape your wrath" Harry simply said. Lachine gave out a scary, deadly hiss and stalked away, staring at Ashley

"Well, time's running, we better go" Green broke up the silence. She snapped her fingers and a purple swirl began to float near them.

"Adios, see you on the other side" Neil said as he hopped inside the swirl. Helena rolled her eyes and jumped after

"There is no way I am going inside that….I can't even tell what that is!" Ashley cried. She crossed her arms haughtily. She could hear sounds at the end of the portal and she wasn't the type of person to walk into anything without knowing what it was

"I guess she wants to walk miles from Hogsmeade…why not give her what she wants? I'll do the honor of closing the portal" Harry replied as he raised his eyebrows, his head popping out from the other side of the swirl

Everyone was already inside the portal and Ashley could hear distant giggling. Harry made a motion of snapping his fingers and the portal grew smaller. Ashley realized what was going on and quickly threw herself into the swirl. For a few seconds she felt the world go upside down and she was being sucked in. Everything was a purple swirl. Then, she landed with a thump and she heard laughing. She closed her eyes and refused to open them until the laughing stopped. Finally it did and she slowly opened her eyes

"Oh, we thought you fainted…sorry guys, false alarm" Brian said. There was a chorus of disappointed 'awws'. Ashley ignored them and stared at her surroundings. They were at a forest, a much untamed forest. The tall massive trees almost blocked out the sunlight and it was very dark. Ashley shivered as it was also very cold and dismal

"Where to?" Neil asked. Lachine pulled out a map.

Ashley took a small peak at the map and was very surprised. Her father had one like it, except James had the map of Hogwarts. The map that was shown now seemed to be the map of the jungle. Far north of the map, she could see dotted figures that had names-really just like what her father had had. Then west of the map she could see their names with the dotted figures

"Somewhere north. I could see three death eater names…" Helena said as she observed the map

"Really who?" Harry asked, suddenly interested

"McNair" Neil said

"Isn't that the guy I gave boiling warts to 3 years ago?" Green asked, fondly reminiscing the time when she cursed McNair for hitting her with a hex in a mission not-so-long ago.

"You took a death eater down?" Ron surprisingly asked

"Yeah" Green frowned at Ron when he asked this. Ron shamefully looked away

"There's Yaxley" Neil stated

"I remember that guy! He was the one who _almost_ dodged by Imperius Curse!" Lachine said.

They remembered the time when Lachine got so mad when Yaxley almost avoided her curse. In the preceding three days she worked really hard, thinking her magic had gone rusty, but in truth, Yaxley just slipped on a rock

"You got so mad you almost cried" Brian laughed. Lachine gave him a deadly look. Brian just smirked

"Oh there's something good" Neil said. Everyone scooted over to the map and found the name: Rodolphus Lestrange. A chorus of creepy "oooh's" circulated

"I know that guy! Uncle Sirius' cousin's husband!" Ashley smartly said

"Sirius Black? I guess that's where he got his cunning from" Harry rolled his eyes. It was true. Sirius had three female cousins named Narcissa, Bellatrix and Andromeda. Bellatrix had married Lestrange and they joined the death eater ranks

"I was absolutely sure Lucius Malfoy would be there!" Hermione frustratingly cried

"Malfoy? Nah, he's way too precious for Voldemort to let him watch guard over some silly base" Helena shook her head

"Okay, we better get going…north" Neil said and he pointed to the base. They then started hiking, occasionally jumping because of twigs and animal sounds

"Why couldn't we take one of those portal thingies there immediately?" Ashley asked as she almost stumbled upon a boulder. The jungle was so dark, creepy and scary that she wanted to back out. It seemed like everyone was used to this except her

"We want to be sneaky. It would be stupid to pop right there when they are doing stuff, we need the element of surprise!" Helena said in an annoyed accent

"Then we would be the one to surprise them if we popped out right under their noses" Ashley knowledgably said

"Ah-yah-yay…this girl's giving me a migraine, and I haven't even bashed a single bad guy yet!" Brian cried out

"Whoa there lion, the faster we get there, the quicker you can bash a death eater" Green patted him on the back

--

"Headmaster, I'm worried about Ashley, she has never done anything like this before!" Lily worriedly said as she and James faced the headmaster. They were in Dumbledore's office and they had been hesitating to let Ashley go on the mission

"Besides, you know we never _actually_ gave our permission!" James furiously said. He slammed his palm on the desk

"You were so busy with your work that the day was fast approaching. I had to make a quick decision!" Dumbledore defended himself

"I mean, its risky! You know how soft our Ashley is, she'll freak in front of a death eater while the others are running!" James reasonably said

"They wont leave her, if there's one thing Lodes taught them, it's never to leave anyone behind" Dumbledore proudly said

"Yes, but they could get hurt" Lily was already sobbing softly. James put a comforting arm around her

"They wont, I've seen the record of these teenagers and they've had enough death eaters fighting to last a lifetime and they're alive and well!" Dumbledore shook his head

"But all they're experience they've worked together, they knew each other, and they will know what the other will do, it's too risky to add three in them, they might forget and work as six instead of nine!"

"Ashley's constant training with them must have changed that!" Dumbledore said to both of them. He knew it was too late because they (the teens) were already on their way and it was very stupid of _the_ James Potter to think it could all be reversed

"Not even two weeks can change years of teamwork" Lily coldly said and she stalked out of the room with James following her, giving Dumbledore a cold, hard stare before smashing the door close

_Family can change the course of loyalty. May theirs never waver._

--

"We've been hiking for _hours_! Can't we just stop for about ten minutes?" Ashley tiredly said

"No! We can't waste so much time!" Neil replied, looking back at her

"But I'm tired to the bone!" Ashley whimpered

"So are we!" Helena spat

"But you're used to this!" The girl whined

"So then get used to us!" Brian cried

_Five minutes later…_

"I want to go home! I'm hungry!" Ashley complained

"Then eat"! Lachine threw her a pack of stale biscuits. Ashley looked at them in disgust and threw them aside

"I just lost my appetite!" Ashley made a gagging noise

"This scrounge is making me sick!" Green rolled her eyes

"_Silencio!" _Harry cried as he spun back to face Ashley. His wand was pointing at her as he did a perfect silencing charm

Ashley's mouth opened but no scream came out. She jumped and sprang around furiously like a mad cat

"Aaah, serenity" Helena said. Ashley's face turned to a repulsive frown as she stroked her neck vertically with her index finger and pointed at Helena

"What'cha gonna do? Prod her with makeup till she's senseless? Seriously, are you even considering hurting a girl who has been used to giving out the cruciaticus curse and the imperious curse most her life?" Brian snarled

Ashley's mouth opened and if she had a voice, she would have been screaming at the top of her lungs, enough to make the team blow their cover. She began jabbing away voicelessly. Minutes later, she got tired

"Finally she gets tired! I almost hear halleluiahs singing behind me!" Lachine said in a relaxed manner

"Come on; let's not throw a feast over a restless girl finally getting tired! Time is money!" Harry cried

"In our case, time is the number of death eaters destroyed from the face of the earth!" Neil triumphantly shouted. Everyone fell dead silent and looked at Neil with dagger eyes

"Ooops!" Neil grinned. Everyone laughed

Suddenly, a scream echoed from where they thought was nowhere. They sprang around to see that the charm had worn off. Ashley was the one who screamed

"You think you can just do that to me you…you!" She was screaming so loud that everyone was making shushing noises to keep her down

"Don't tell me to shut up! You have no right to do that you imbeciles! Ooh, wait until Dumbledore gets a hold of this. The famed protégés of Count Lodes hurting the savior of light!" Ashley cried at the top of her lungs

"Ashley…"

"Shut it, I'm not yet done! To hell who cares whether there are a million death eaters right here right now I will not be treated like that!" Ashley shouted. Everyone fell dead silent. Ashley smirked in a satisfied manner

"Potter, do you remember we are opting to be silent?" Neil angrily said. He was red in anger that Ashley almost flinched in fear

"You are dead! We had wanted to ambush them!" Harry gravely said through gritted teeth. He felt like he wanted to smash her to pieces. Ashley narrowed her eyes

"We wanted to keep the element of surprise!" Lachine cried.

"Then _surprise_!" Someone bitterly said behind them. The next and last thing they saw was the consciousness beaten out of them

--

**A/N**

**Oh! I know you hate cliffies as much as I do but I couldn't resist. This added a certain touch to make the story more thrilling! I hope you still like it and I'm hoping for more reviews!**

**Because of the pressure school has put on me, I will be updating on February 10 2008. I know this will be sort of unfair and bad but judging from my schedule, its heaven I have the tenth alive!**

**REVIEW**


	12. Captured

**Captured**

Soon after, everyone gained consciousness. The memories of the ambush were vague. All they theorized was that the noise must have alerted the death eaters and made them find out the location. They assumed they had been beaten hard and since everybody had been so off guard, there had almost never been a fight, just a slight struggle.

From what they could see, they were in somewhat a stock room and because of the dismal cold; they felt it to be underground. The house they were in looked like some sort of shack. Surrounding them were wax sealed barrels labeled explosives, tools and other things

"Uuuh…where are we?" Brian groggily asked. He had just awakened from the deep slumber he was in and he was rubbing his sore head.

"We've been captured dummy" Green snapped. Upset would be the understatement of the year if one were to describe her. All of them had been against Ashley from the start and now….

"Where is that girl?!" Helena sprang up from her sitting place. She was right. Ashley Potter was nowhere to be seen.

"I doubt it that she escaped" Neil mumbled, putting some of his ointments on his wounded knee

"More importantly, where's Argon?" Lachine said. Everyone looked around and they realized that Harry was gone too

"Oh Merlin! We have to get out fast! Most importantly Ashley, I know the death eaters must have sent word to old' Voldie that they had the frickin' girl who lived!" Brian madly kicked the dust on the ground

"This is all Dumbledore's fault!" Green grumbled, receiving some of Neil's ointments

"Probably wanting their reward! I could see their smug little faces right now!" Nobody realized Hermione and Ron were awake until Hermione made the remark

"Who knows where they are?" Helena sadly said

"They must be still in the house! Voldemort won't be fool enough to let them travel lest there should be any intervention. No, they're keeping them here. It's Voldemort who'll come here!" Green stated

"That means we have to get out of here fast!"

--

Everything from his head to his toe was aching. He's eyes were also too sore to open and his hands too numb to move. It seemed he had taken most of the beating, probably because he was the only one who struggled to put up a fight. His muscles were throbbing very painfully to let his mind think well.

Instead of finding himself on a cold dusty floor like most villains usually do, he felt himself strapped by a rope to a mini sofa. It was cushioned and soft. Not far from him he heard a person groan in deepest agony which he only guessed was his sister (who else could have made that unpleasant groan?). His teammates should have been awakened before him so why couldn't he hear their voices?

Resisting some of the pain, he slowly opened his eyes. His vision was blurry but he didn't realize his glasses were taken from him. It was seconds later when he knew this because his vision was agonizingly beginning to haze. He mustered up some of the energy left in him and reached out beside him. There was a small table and there were his glasses. With his one hand shaking he put the glasses on and finally was able to get a clear view of where he was.

As he guessed, he was strapped by a rope so a mini sofa. It was red with golden lining. He was somewhat in a parlor. There was a modest fireplace with a roaring fire. There were three other chairs just like his. The others were purple, blue-green, and green. On the blue green chair was strapped Ashley. She seemed to be in deep agony, her face contorted into fear and pain. She had many bruises, clearly she had a struggle. She was squirming and her hair looked unkempt. She looked very pitiful.

"Ashley!" Harry shouted to the girl. Ashley struggled as she slowly opened her eyes

"Where are we?" She moaned

"We've been captured, all because of your babbling voice!" Harry bitterly said

"You mean we're in the base? The death eaters captured us?" Ashley was in no mood and condition to argue so Harry decided not to scream at her

"Yes! Now they're going to get Voldemort and you'll be done for, not unless some miracle happens and the guys can get us out of here!" Harry gravely said

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to" Ashley's eyes were only half open. Her words were soft

"I know. No one did" Harry simply said

Just then, the door opened to reveal a cloaked man. It wasn't Voldemort for his hands were sticking out and they looked healthy, unlike Voldemort's skinny and claw like ones. The man briskly closed the door

"Ahh, I see you have awakened" The man smugly said

"Obviously" Harry sarcastically said

"Don't get smart with me boy, I can kill you in a second if I wanted to" The man harshly said

"Where are we? Where have you taken us?" Ashley cried

"This must be the famed Ashley Potter. Well, you are at the death eater base which you have tried and failed to infiltrate. Quite comfortable for a base, innit? Pettigrew designed it himself before embarking off with Voldemort" The man let out a phlegmy laugh.

"Peter Pettigrew?" Harry shockingly asked

"Yes, quite a designer too, for a rat!" The man said

"Why are we here? Where are the others?" Harry asked through gritted teeth

"The others? You don't need to worry about their skin. You need to worry most about yours. Don't you worry; they are down at the dusty stockroom, wandless and with only bugs to keep them company" The man sarcastically said

"They can perform wandless magic, you know" Ashley knowledgably said

"We know that, we put up spells on them to make the magic go out of them for mere time" The man shot back

Thank God Ashley forgot to mention that the guys had other talents and could fairly survive without magic. Neil had his potions, Brian had his flying objects, Lachine had her weapons and Green had her karate, kung-fu and acrobatics. Harry could have broken out of the strap with his diamond blade. The one which the count had given him while still living with the Potters long ago. But no, he wanted to hear the whole story

"Don't you worry too about your soon death, the dark lord will make sure the agony will only last a moment" The man said and he left the room, cackling to himself

--

"Where are our wands?" Ron asked, fumbling around his pockets looking for his wands

"They had obviously confiscated it. But no matter, wandless magic is a tad" Green winked at him.

Neil got the idea and lifted his hand up and flicked his fingers. Nothing happened. He tried again for three times at the same effect

"What's happening?" Helena asked, fear was in her voice

"It seems….I know it's nearly impossible but…" Brian couldn't bring himself to finish his sentence

"They took the magic out of us! Of course it couldn't be permanent but as long as we're here, we can't do magic" Helena grumbled. Everyone angrily groaned

"You know, its not only magic that kept us alive! For example" Lachine smiled as she raised her hand. A shuriken flew out of it and pierced on of the barrels

"Your right! We still have our skills! Think about it! We can do this without magic. Watts has his potions, Shanty has her daggers, Peron has her punches, I have my flying carpets and we all have our brains!" Brian excitedly said

"Not only that, we have this!" Green lifted her hand up and pointed to a silver dolphin painted on her wrist

"Animal Guides" Everyone softly said. Hermione and Ron though looked befuddled

"I remember Marcia telling us that it doesn't need magic. It's found in our soul" Lachine softly said

"You know what this means don't you? We can send a message to anyone who has an animal guide back there. Who do you want to send a message to?" Helena asked, her voice gentle

"I say we send a message to all of them. The count, Marcia and Luciana" Neil said

"All of us?"

"Yes"

Everyone sat down and meditated. Each sending a message, telling their Animal Guides to deliver it

"_We are in need of your help. Because of Ashley, we have been captured by the death eaters. Don't bring a large group. Just bring a small one. The magic has been temporarily taken out of us, please help us. Harry and Ashley are in deep trouble"_

As soon as the message was sent, Green meditated a little bit longer, sending a message to Harry

"_Harry it's me Peron. Our Animal Guides aren't magic. They are a part of your soul. Use it to communicate with us. Where are you Argon? Just stay put and don't try to escape, help is on the way!" _

"Why'd you meditate a bit longer?" Neil asked

"I remembered Argon had an Animal Guide" Green smirked

"Oh My God!"

--

The count was sitting on an armchair when he looked up and saw smoke forming in front of him. They then formed into a dolphin, a lion, a parrot, a peacock and a leopard

"We are in need of your help. Because of Ashley, we have been captured by the death eaters. Don't bring a large group. Just bring a small one. The magic has been temporarily taken out of us, please help us. Harry and Ashley are in deep trouble" The figures slowly said

"By god, you have been captured?" The count shockingly asked.

The lion nodded.

"Don't worry, I'll be there as soon as possible" The count gravely said. The smoke then disappeared

"Luciana! Luciana!" The count cried as he shook the girl's arm

"Count Lodes, what is it? It sounds important!" Luciana bewilderedly asked, her eyebrows arching

"It's golly well important! Because of Ashley Potter, the team has been captured by the death eaters!" The count shouted to her

"Captured? I knew Ashley was a bad idea! What are we going to do?" Luciana worriedly asked

"If I was to go to rescue them Dumbledore would arouse suspicion and will pester me on the matter. It's best if you go, he doesn't notice you _that_ much. Bring Marcia too" The count exasperatedly said.

"I'll be on it. I'll go immediately! Who knows what might happen if the other death eaters have been alerted!" Luciana practically ran down the hall frantically

--

"Uhh…" Harry groaned. He was just about to cut the ropes down when he saw smoke forming a single image, a dolphin. It was Green. But how?

"Harry it's me Peron. Our Animal Guides aren't magic. They are a part of your soul. Use it to communicate with us. Where are you Argon? Just stay put and don't try to escape, help is on the way!" The dolphin mysteriously said

"Peron, is that you? I mean of course its you!" The dolphin nodded

"Well, I'm about to cut the ropes binding me down. A death eater came and told us that _he_ was coming. We've got to get out of here now. I'm in a sort of parlor slash living room" Harry whispered

"Just stay put…just stay put" The dolphin repeated and then vanished. Harry slumped back in his chair and out the diamond blade away

"What was that?" Ashley asked, very amazed

"It's our animal guides, you know like the tattoos on our wrist. We can use it to communicate" Harry explained

"But the magic has been…" Ashley started

"It doesn't actually work like magic. A sort of 'part of your soul' thing" Harry patently said

"Oh. Why don't you call the count up?" Ashley said

"They seemed to have already! You heard the dolphin. Help is on the way" Harry quoted the dolphin's words

"I sure do hope someone to help us will appear soon!" Ashley hung her head down her eyes shifted from corners of the room worriedly

"They will" Harry comfortingly said

"I'm sorry about…you know, the other day, I didn't know what I said made you mad" Ashley sadly said

"Oh that! None of that was your fault! I was just so mad that my anger could have been taken out on almost anyone!" Harry told her

"I just happened to be _lucky_ enough to be the first one you saw" Ashley snickered

"Exactly" Harry calmly said "Truth be told, I really wanted us to be friends"

"Me too! I mean, you're the only one I feel comfortable about my past" Ashley said

"Me? I'm a guy you just met! You have friends, a family that loves you, even fans!" Harry snorted, facing the fire

"Puh-leese! They only like me because I'm the chosen one! If Harry had been the one, all the attention would have been to him" Ashley truthfully said

"_That's true" _Harry thought

"How about your family? They'd love you either ways" Harry's eyes were beginning to sting because of the fire light

"If love was the way they treated Harry, then yes, they'd _really _love me! I guess I'm just grateful that I have a home and some company! Who knows where my brother would be right now! Probably shivering in the cold" Ashley sighed

"_I actually feel warm, thank you very much" _Harry's mind said

"So, we're still friends?" Harry asked

"Yes. If I was untied, I'd give you a hug right now" Ashley grinned

"Same here" Harry nodded

"Geez, where are those aurors when you need them? Where's the help we wanted? Voldie could be here any minute now" Ashley bobbed her head up and down

"_I expected your help to have appeared minutes ago but it seems I overestimated them" _A snaky voice hissed. Both of them froze and their blood ran cold. Only one man spoke in that manner: Lord Voldemort

**A/N **

**Hey! I'm back again, and this time with another cliffhanger. I hope you still like the story and if you don't, I'll leave it be. Anyways, please be reminded that the next update (if there will be one wink, wink) will be on February 17 2008! **

**REVIEW (pretty please with the creamiest icing on top) **


	13. Lord Voldemort

**Lord Voldemort**

His skin was of pale demeanor. His eyes were a devilish red. His robe was sharp and gothic. He was Lord Voldemort and he was here right now. Too shocked and afraid to scream, the two teenagers watched him closely with wide open eyes as he glided over to them

"So, we meet again…for the second and last time" Voldemort sneered at them

"Oh really? I think this will only be one of the many to come" Harry bravely shot back. He was trying to focus on completely blocking his mind shields

"Aaah, you've gotten cheeky, boy, you were only a baby then when I last saw you. Before you… disappeared….." Voldemort mysteriously said

"Yes. I know" Harry muttered under his breath.

He prayed that Voldemort wouldn't reveal his true identity because if he did, hell, he would have wanted to die anyway than face his sister

"And here's Ashley Potter, the famed Girl Who Lived" Voldemort went over to Ashley and patted her cheek

"That's right! I survived your curse once and I'll survive it again" Ashley said, her voce trembling

"You think you actually survived my curse? When none was inflicted on you?" Voldemort cackled. Both of them became confused

"Yes, there was. You wanted to kill her because of some prophecy. But you're spell didn't succeed" Harry sneered at him.

"You don't know the whole story boy…few people do…you'll surely be shocked if you knew people have had it wrong for years" Voldemort hissed

"What do you mean?" Ashley asked, fear in her eyes

"Why should I tell you?" Voldemort snarled

"I have the right to know! This is our fight!" Ashley fiercely said

"This fight has nothing to concern you" Voldemort calmly said. He made the fire in the hearth much larger. Ashley and Harry became scared, they knew there was a great chance Voldemort would kill them right on spot. Help was welcome now. But in order to stay alive a little bit longer….

They would have to keep him talking

--

"Shh…I hear footsteps" Helena hushed them all up. She had always been the one with the sharpest senses. Silent footsteps were echoing on the roof about them

"I think…I think…we're on a basement of some sort" Brian looked around him

"How else could they be walking there?" Hermione asked with a concerned look

"I'll find out what they're saying" Green said.

She looked up and found a horizontal metal pole situated above them. Then nearby, she saw old wooden boxes with cobwebs frizzled about the covers.

"How do you suppose you can do that?" Ron asked. Green raised on eyebrow at him. She took off her shoes and sock and crinkled her toes. She then bounced

Just then, she cart wheeled over to the boxes and stood on them. Then, jumping as high as she could, she grabbed the pole and twirled acrobatically about it for a while. Then, she sat in a frog position on the pole.

"Nice on, Peron" Neil said to her

"Couldn't have done it better myself" Lachine grinned. Hermione and Ron watched with their mouths open as she did another daredevil stunt

Her legs _barely_ shaking, she slowly moved her figure up to a crouching position. She was almost standing on the pole had it not been for the roof

"Can you hear anything?" Brian whispered

"Shut up Aerobe! I can't hear a thing" Green irritably said

"I'll get up there too" Lachine said, looking up at Green.

She backed some steps off and looked at the wooden walls. She tapped them with two fingers before nodding her head. Backing off more, she sharply held her arm out front and out came 10 daggers. They pierced the wall in a vertical manner. Everyone looked at her for her next move

"Wait for me Peron" Lachine said. She took hold of a dagger and started climbing up, using the daggers as some sort of ladder. When she was at the top, she lithely went into the same position as Green

"I hear voices" Green whispered. Both of them held their ears out to the roof

"_Evening Avery, I trust dat ze Dark Lord's trip was fine?" A man asked. He had a deep, gruffly voice_

"_It certainly was, Yaxley. I also trust you weren't lying about the two captives" Another man, Avery, said_

"_Aye, I wasn't joking as ye thought I was ey" Yaxley replied to him_

"_I suppose he is dealing with them right now?" Avery asked_

"_N'deed 'e is. Tis finally going to be done, innit? Za Potter child finally dead" Yaxley said with a phlegmy voice _

"_Move over Yaxley, I want to know what it happening in there" Avery ordered_

"_Aint gonna 'appen you freaky tyke! Dark Lord's orders, not to let anyone go in there, Aye, he said dat" Yaxley protectively said_

"_I am not just any death eater! I am in the inner ranks. I deserve to be there. I am one of his closest" Avery demanded_

"_Aye, so is Lucius Malfoy and the Lestranges, but they aint gonna go near them now aint they? Now you just go over there, yer business is done" Yaxley said in a final and deciding voice. Grumbling was barely audible but footsteps suggested Avery was out_

Green and Lachine turned pale and looked at each other.

"What happened?" Neil asked

"They're in trouble….Big trouble" Both of them said at once, looking down at the eager group

--

Seeming to get the plans to keep Voldie yapping on and on, Ashley nodded discreetly to Harry and he winked his left eye to show he understood

"So what do you plan to do with us now?" Harry asked

"Oh, you won't want to know that, boy. It would be too much…excruciating" Voldemort licked his paled lips and continued to pace in front of them

"We just want to know what to expect" Ashley said in a trembling voice

"Expect death" Voldemort calmly said

"Why are you doing this? Why do hate muggleborns and muggles? I hear you're father was one!" Harry bravely said

"Ha! So you're just a silly little half blood!" Ashley sneered, not thinking what she was saying. Harry look weirdly at her

"If half bloods seem silly, you're the silliest" Voldemort silkily said

"Why? You're father was a muggle!" Harry again said

"That's how I became to hate muggles, because my father was one" Voldemort replied. Harry and Ashley were beginning to get nervous because he was so calm

"For you're incompetent brains to understand, I'm afraid I'll start at the beginning. We have time, I know, because your help won't seem to be getting here any sooner" Voldemort gravely said

"We are more alike than you think, boy. We are both half bloods, we were smart for a young age, we had no real family" Voldemort turned to Harry

"You and I will never be alike!" Harry angrily shouted

"We already are, boy! Do you even know that your mentor, Lodes, had offered me a spot on his place? I had learned I was something special before then and if there was this thing as another world, I didn't like to waste it on him!" Voldemort bellowed

"You missed out on a lot" Harry bitterly said

"I'm afraid I didn't. Had I contained myself to his estate, I would have never seen the real magical world. I would have only known things to a limit. But Hogwarts! Ah, that blasted school now ran by a bastardly man, taught me things. It taught me how the world can slice away your innocence and carve you with its cruelties in just a minute. I was taught the true way of wizardry. The way of the great and high Slytherin" Voldemort proudly said

"Being one of the darkest figures in mankind has no benefits" Ashley screamed

"Yes. But do not forget. I am not only a dark figure. I am a dark figure raised in the cunning ways of Salazar" Voldemort icily said

"You bring shame to the name of Slytherin" Ashley cried

"You are wrong! I bring pride! He wanted this world rid of the muggle scum and I fulfill it" He snarled

"No! Slytherin wanted no muggle to step in _Hogwarts_! He wanted them to let be in the muggle world!" Harry shouted

"Yes! What I'm doing now is what you call _enhancement_ to his vision" Voldemort said evilly

Just then, a snake slithered through the doorway, carrying a parchment between his fangs. Seeing Harry and Ashley, the snake stuck out his tongue and hissed violently. Voldemort clasped the parchment in his claw like hands and read it

The snake kept on hissing and hissing, looking right through their eyes.

"_You'll die?" _ Harry found the snake's hissing turning to slithery words. The serpent was speaking to him. That was silly, snakes couldn't talk. He suddenly paled. That could only mean one thing: He was parseltongue

--

"What exactly do you mean big trouble?" Neil asked

"Trouble as in: Voldemort's here" Lachine gravely said

"What?" Nobody could believe it. Where was the help they needed and called for? Who knows, they could have been dead minutes ago

"Well, we can't just be sitting around like damsels in distress!" Helena cried

"Wait, let me think" Everyone looked at Neil.

He was again in one of his "brain moods" as they liked to call it. Neil's brain moods lasted about 2 minutes during which time he would brainstorm a perfectly flawless plan to get them out of sticky situations

"Fifty nine, fifty eight, fifty seven, fifty six…." Lachine trailed off

"Hey keep quiet! He cant concentrate" Brian scolded. They looked at Neil, who was sitting on one of the wooden boxes, in a meditating position.

"Five, four three, two, one…."

"I GOT IT!" Neil cried out. Lachine stood up and told him to shut up. He turned red and nodded silently.

"What's the plan?"

"You noticed there's no door at where we are, right? So that means there must be another way out. Everybody, look for some trapdoors or some secret hideaways." Neil told them. At his word, everyone scampered around tapping the floor and the walls, looking for any sign of a hidden passage

Just then, Ron heaved open the cover of a very large wooden box. Inside was a stairway leading downward to blackness

"Over here!" Ron called out. The box was so big it appeared to be glued to the ground. Everyone peered at the stairway, looking for signs of light

"Good job, Ron!" Neil clapped his hand to Ron's back

"What do we do after we've reached the end?" Green asked

"We don't know yet the structure of the house. I'm betting there's a hallway above us right now so the passage will probably lead to that. We've faced death eaters before wandless and I think we could take them" Brian said in an somewhat demanding voice

"Okay, we should probably stay as a group…no one falls behind or goes ahead and….." Neil began but was cut off by Lachine's excited squeals

"Last one in goes out with Snape!" Lachine giggled, jumping down the box and running down the stairway. Everyone froze. Then suddenly, when she reached somewhat the bottom, she gave out a scream

"Let's go!" Neil jumped over the box. He was about to sprint downstairs when he heard laughing

"Boy, you should have seen your faces!" Lachine's giggling face appeared as she strolled up the stairway

"NOT.FUNNY.SHANTY!" Green bellowed

"We were frightened!" Hermione whimpered

"Whatever, we better go!" Helena jumped in after them.

Everyone got in the box and started their way down. Neil went in last so he closed the box cover, giving them pure darkness

--

He hadn't really thought about snakes back in his training days. He never even knew he could understand them. The only two known people to have that dark gift were Salazar Slytherin and the other one was standing in front of him: Lord Voldemort. The gift was known to only people on the dark side. Harry was clearly fighting for the side of light. Being parseltongue was a sign of darkness and he couldn't have that. It could mean he was descended from them or he was really, really bad. Still, it could be an asset.

_What would the count say? The words he would say would probably end up like "no talent or gift is bad. Anything can be an asset…blah blah blah_

Anything can be an asset

"_I can understand you" _Harry told the snake.

Ashley's eyes widened as she observed Harry. She was completely and utterly shocked. She knew that parselmouths were bad people. Argon couldn't be bad…could he? He was currently speaking in a language that she never heard before

"_Nagini, leave!" _ Voldemort cried out. Ashley looked at him again. This was the first moment she heard someone speak the language and she was shocked.

The snake nodded and left. Just as the snake was about to leave the door, it looked at Harry and its glassy eyes narrowed and then it left

"_You speak it! I knew you could" _Voldemort said to Harry

"_So what! I can never be like you" _Harry retorted

"_That means I have truly left my mark upon you…Harry Potter" _

**A/N**

**So yeah, I updated and this time, with an exciting twists. The italics are in parseltongue, as you know. I can only assure you one thing; Voldie will not reveal who Harry is. I've already had reviewers pester me about it and its time I put their minds to ease. Anyways, the final exams are barely a month away and I need to pass this in order to get into junior year. So, guys, I really need some study time. **

**The next update will be on FEBRUARY 27 2008. Sorry if it's too long but I really want to pass the exams. Oh yeah! Reviews make me feel good and I like studying when I feel good. So do me a favor and review! If you don't review, it will be on your conscience if I don't get to Junior Year. **

**REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW!**


	14. Lots Of Passages

**Lots of Passages**

"Why can't you just _the hell_ face it that we are lost" Green hissed. Brian had been arrogantly and proudly leading them through the maze of tunnels and they appeared to be going in circles

He was the one who had the glow-in-the-dark necklace and there was no light save for the necklace's glow so he _had_ to be the one on front

"We are not lost!" Brian snarled back at her. He pompously held up his necklace and it shed a little light on the ground

"Eeek!" Someone squealed. The noise had come from Hermione

"What?"

"I saw…a…rat…" Hermione shyly said

"Jesus save me!" Helena rolled her eyes. Everyone groaned inwardly. Hermione blushed but thankfully, no one saw it

Just then, the light on Brian's necklace faded away. Everyone was frantic, jumping around and screaming

"Shut Up!" Neil cried out. He held a muggle cigarette lighter in his hand, the flames burning about it

Everyone froze in their tracks and looked on their new found source of light. It was much brighter than Brian's necklace

"Why didn't you tell us you had that?" Lachine angrily said

"I guess I just forgot it was there…" Neil sheepishly said

"You could've remembered a bit earlier, and not have captain bigshot lead us into being lost" Green childishly stomped her foot

"I told you. We aren't lost" Brian said through gritted teeth

"Yeah sure" Helena sarcastically said

"Yeah, what made you think you can maneuver with this maze?" Lachine asked

"Because I asked this" Brian proudly pulled his hand up so that others could see the shining lion tattooed on his wrist. Everyone's eyes went large and their jaws drooped down to the floor

"I…I…" Neil was lost for words

"You thought I was too stupid to think of that" Brian said

"Actually, yeah!" Lachine nodded her head

"Well, I'm not. I knew the small opening was too deceiving and there had to be something confusing about what to expect down here. So I ask my guide and it was the one who told me where to go" Brian explained

"I never thought of it that way…" Green mumbled

"Right" Brian laughed.

"Why do you have the cigarette lighter anyway? Aren't they for smokers?" Ron asked

"I thought it was a toy once so I kept it as a souvenir of one of our missions. I learned about what it was days after and I thought it would be cool to stick around you in case something came up" Neil told him

"Let's get going. Where to, wonder boy?" Lachine asked, clapping a hand on Brian's shoulder

"We turn left here" Brian said

He led them through many twists and turns on the maze. It looked like they were going in circles. With the help of Neil's lighter, they were able to see the vermin and small critters crawling about.

Finally, after what seemed like 30 minutes of circling the underground tunnel, they saw a light shining right in front of them. Just then, Hermione giggled

"What?"

"Oh nothing. Its just when muggles are in a coma or in an injury that makes them weak or they are about to close eyes, the companions say 'don't go into the light'. The light means that they are approaching eternal sleep or heaven" Hermione told them

"Well, let's get into heaven then"

--

"_I figured you'd boast it out that you knew me soon enough" _Harry bitterly told Voldemort in parseltongue as he looked down on the floor

"_I'm impressed you figured it out" _Voldemort hissed back

"_You took away my parents, my sister, my old life. And now you take away my identity. You're about to take away the identity I have cherished. What more could you take from me?" _ Harry disaffectedly told Voldemort

"_Your life would be a good thing to take" _Voldemort's hallow eyes narrowed as he hungrily looked at the pair of them

Ashley was so shocked by all the parselmouths that she promptly fainted to the spot

"Why Tom Riddle? Why?"Harry pleadingly asked. He didn't speak in parseltongue for he knew he was near defeat. He knew this man was heartless but…

"YOU DARE MOCK ME BY CALLING ME THAT NAME" Voldemort cried. He took out his wand and pointed it at Harry

"_CRUCIO" _He screamed and jets of lightning came out

The pain was nothing like he'd experienced. It was crucial, excruciating, relenting, agonizing and hurtful. Yet it was pleading, passionate and regretful. It was a curse that could only be thrown by a man with hate and sorrow in his eyes. It was no ordinary Cruciaticus curse

"Like I said you scum, we are very much alike. Now, you have experienced pain just like I did"

--

"One, two, three, push" They all gave their energy into pushing a heavy block that seemed to be the doorway to the light, After a series of tries, they finally managed to push the block

The group found themselves on a well-lit hallway. The carpet was silver but the walls were a leather-suede-type green. Just then, they heard footsteps around the corner. They made a motion to hide. There was no hiding place. The block was too heavy to quickly lift. But then to their left was a dark corridor. They swiftly went there

"Who goes there?" A gruffly voice shouted. His hands were shaking as he pointed his wand in the direction of where they used to be

"This'll be easy" Neil whispered. He nodded to Brian who grinned back

"It's alright, no need to get violent" Brian jumped out of the darkness to face Yaxley

"You! You're that tramp who nearly broke my leg years ago!" Yaxley cried out

"An unfortunate event. But that's what we're here for, to forgive and forget" Brian nervously said

"I'm going to forget you ever existed" Yaxley lunged forward at them

"RUN" Neil screamed. They sped down the dark corridor. When they reached what appeared to be a dead end, Lachine yanked open a door and they all filed themselves in

"Come on, bar the door up" Lachine ordered. They gathered the things in the room and pushed it against the door. There were couches, jars and cabinets

Those things weren't anything compared to the strength of Yaxley. The Death Eater was already forcing the door open.

"There must be a passage out of here somewhere" Ron frantically said. He prodded some books on a bookshelf and suddenly, a portrait opened to reveal a closet

"Everyone inside now" Brian said. They scrambled inside and locked the portrait back

By the sounds they were hearing from outside, Yaxley had managed to burst through the door

"Where are you lot?" He talked to himself. He scrounged every inch of the room and when he was near the portrait, everyone held their breath

"They escaped. They couldn't have gotten far" He said. He exited the room and they all gave a sigh of relief

"I knew he couldn't find us" Helena smartly said

"Yeah. But know it's too dangerous to go back outside. Yaxley's probably got a load of death eaters searching for us. There has to be a way out of here somewhere." Neil said. Everyone looked for a sign of exit but Alas! There was none

As if by a miracle, they found a lever on the ceiling. They just knew it was to open up a trapdoor

But above them, they heard voices

Unusual voices

Their bodies froze

_**The voices were speaking in Parseltongue **_

**--**

**Probably my shortest one yet but I think I meant it to be that way. Anyways, the group found out where the twins are but the question is, what would they do? Would they risk their lives to save them or anxiously wait for help?**

**This is my third cliffy in a row. I'll keep doing it, I assure you that. Next update is on MARCH 7 2008. I'm sorry if its too long but like I said, I'm a student and I need to study. I'm lucky I managed this one. **

**Keep on reviewing. **


	15. Multiplier Effect

**Multiplier Effect**

"No way" Brian whispered

"Oh yeah…Voldemort's in there. But who's the other one speaking Parseltongue?" Neil asked

"It couldn't be Ashley. I know a girl's parseltongue voice when I hear one" Lachine said, scratching her head

"It has to be Argon. I mean, look at him. He's got the qualities, except for being a dark wizard, that is" Helena reasoned

"Every parselmouth _is_ a dark wizard, Yale" Green told her

"Argon's a dark wizard?" Brian shockingly asked.

"No! I think I know what's happened" Neil whispered "But we can't let these people here know, lest we want them to know who he really is"

"Well, the only way is to knock them out" Lachine softly said. She looked at Ron and Hermione who were mindlessly musing over their new hiding place and wasn't listening to anything the group was saying

"Let me do it" Brian lunged forward at Hermione and Ron and did a complex karate move that had them both knocked down in a second, causing them to fall neatly on the floor

"What did you do?" Green angrily said

"Don't worry, the move I did can't cause any harm" Brian confidently said. Then everyone fixed their eyes on Neil

"Here's what I think. We all know Harry was there when Voldie attacked Ashley. What if it wasn't Ashley who was the only one who got hit by a spell? What if the remnants of the spell sparked on Harry? The spell did have bits of Voldie in it so it is possible Harry could be a parseltongue because the bits of Voldemort got into him" Neil explained to all of them quietly

"You're right. How else could it have happened?" Helena agreed

"Now we can't leave these two in here forever. I reckon that we go up there while Hermione and Ron stay in here, knocked out. That way, they can't put themselves in danger" Brian seriously said

"Or you mean they can't give _us_ any danger" Green snickered

"What about the help that's about to arrive?"

"Well we can't just sit here and do nothing while Harry and Ashley are mustering up their guts trying to stall Voldemort!" Neil angrily said

"Your right, Harry's our brother, and family protects each other." Lachine softly said

"And in the case of Ashley?"

"She's the savior of light. What else is there?" Helena smiled

"Now when we get up there, it's all of one and one for all. It's the darkest wizard we're up to against and I'm humble enough to admit he's power is _maybe_ a multitude of ours" Neil gravely announced

"Protect each other and yourselves at all costs. And most importantly, stick to our goal" Green finished up

"Pull the lever on three. One two three!"

--

Just then, part of the floor started shaking. It made Voldemort frantically look around and Harry flinched. The shaking shook Ashley and made her aware of her surroundings. Then, a square meter on the floor popped out and out filed five people.

When Voldemort saw them, his face calmed

"Ah, if it isn't Lodes' posse" Voldemort confidently said

"Give up the act, Voldemort; we're here to bust our friends out!"

"I don't think so" Voldemort sneered and snapped his fingers. In an instant, they were surrounded by five death eaters, all armed with wands

"Take care of them. Make sure they wont live to see the next day" Voldemort coldly said and then he clapped his hands. Then, he, Harry and Ashley (still banded to the chairs), disappeared

--

"Oh no" Neil whispered and they all got into their fighting stances. With or without wands, they _had to _get out of this alive

All of a sudden, curses were flying everywhere. The group was doing their best vying off the death eaters. They did all sorts of karate stunts and they had their daggers, coated with poison, flying everywhere. It appeared that the teens were winning. Brian and Lachine became their animagus forms (a lion and a leopard) and scrammed off the enemies.

The death eaters were knocked down, but their senses were still on. So Neil threw a potion vial to the wall and the room filled with smoke. The group then quickly went out of the room while the cover was still on

"This was not part of the plan. I mean, what'll happen to Ron and Hermione?" Helena asked, breathlessly running with the team through the corridors.

"We'll sort out your priorities later. Right now, we've got to find Harry and Ashley" Brian breathlessly said

They took the answers of their animal guides and followed their directions to where the twins were. They were directed in front of a room that looked like it hasn't been touched for ages.

"Darts! I can't open it" Lachine hissed angrily

"Well, we still don't have our wand so—" Neil was suddenly cut off by Helena

"That's what you think" Helena smirked as she brandished eight wands. The extra three were for Ron, Hermione and Ashley

"How did you…?"

"Easy. But I had to be really quick. Once Neil had the room filled with smoke, I was at the corner then, so I was facing the line of bodies of the death eaters. I made a quick guess to who the wands were in and my guide told me 'McNair'. I sped over to him and retrieved these" Helena proudly said

"Amazing"

"You can praise me later. We've got to open the blasted door" Helena shrilly said. She was racking her brains to find out the solution

"Voldemort's smart, so _Alohamora _would obviously prove to be useless. We need to think of an all-around spell" Green panted. She was still tired from the long run

"I have an idea so everyone can pray this works" Brian said

"_Stupefy"_

The door blasted open and debris flew everywhere. Stupefy was for solid objects so it was a good bet. Everyone shielded their eyes from the debris. Inside, they found Voldemort, smirking mercilessly at them, as if he knew something they didn't. There right beside him was Ashley and Harry, still tied up and knocked out

"We've beaten your troop of Death Eaters, Voldemort. You have no way of escaping now!" Green angrily said, threatening him as she pointed her wand at Voldemort. He didn't show any fear but the smirk still plastered upon his face

"You think so…" Voldemort raised his hands and he flew up in the air, a golden ball surrounding him. Then they beheld a sight so magnificent and powerful. Voldemort then split himself into seven and the seven gracefully landed on the floor

"I thought the power of Horcruxes doesn't work like that" Brian said, very confused

"These aren't Horcruxes, silly boy; this is a different type of dark magic." Voldemort icily said

"Get them" At Voldemort's command; the seven decoys practically lunged at the group. While Voldemort was just standing there, laughing at his achievement, Nagini slowly coiling himself to his forearm

The group was no match for seven Voldemorts. It wasn't like his power was divided along with his decoys, it was that they all held the same powers the real Voldemort had, and they acted like it too. Jinxes, curses and hexes were flying everywhere. The decoys were absolutely winning

The group rounded up and soon they were surrounded by the decoys. It seemed like there was no escape

Just like there was a miracle, two people burst through the rubles of the broken door.

Luciana and Marcia

"Need any help?" Luciana said, grinning

"LUCIANA, MARCIA" The group screamed out.

Voldemort looked scandalized.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Tom Riddle, the boy who turned the position at Lodes' castle down" Marcia swiftly said

"Tsk Tsk, we could've been teammates, you know. But you had to go to Hogwarts" Luciana said

"Don't Think I don't know who you _really _are. You call yourself Luciana, but I know who you really are…" Voldemort kept his cool as he said this. Though fear was slowly brewing inside him

"It's been a long time…_Lucy Ann_" Voldemort icily said, grinning mercilessly at Luciana. Color drained out of her face

The group could do nothing as Voldemort put everything to a pause and they were confused and Luciana just stood there, pale and still

--

**So now you get a picture of what must have happened to Luciana: yeah, she changed her original name. Is my story really bad? Tell me honestly because I personally think that it's not that good. But please keep on reviewing**

**Next update is on March 16 2008**

**I would also like to thank those many reviewers for always being there. **

**Thank you for reviewing lots and lots. **

**KEEP ON REVIWEING**

_**Everyone wants to go to heaven but no one wants to die**_


	16. Luciana

**Luciana**

The night was dark and wet. Rain was endlessly pouring and splattering on the crystal glazed windows. Inside a large house, near the fireplace, sat a happy and cheerful family. It consisted of a strict looking father; a stiff, yet welcoming mother; a jolly, rosy cheeked four year old girl and last, a dark haired, quiet twelve year old girl

Warming themselves near the fireplace, the couple was busy fussing over the beautiful five year old, giving her presents and doting on her. The parents didn't seem to notice their other daughter who was curled up in a semi-dark corner reading a thick, fat book

The meek girl was not really a picture of beauty, put beside her sister. She had dark black hair in braided pigtails and round rimmed glasses. Her features were of that she had a turned up button nose, slightly crooked fingers and small feet. Her only startling part was her eyes, golden and full of fire.

Meanwhile, the five year old was everything her parents wished for a daughter. Bouncy golden curls crowned her head, blue eyes that took everyone's breath and thick rosy lips that pouted.

When the older girl was born, her parents were disgusted. They had expected a goddess-like child glowing. Instead, they found a black haired baby, crying endlessly. They had wanted an exotic beauty but they got a simpleton. It had taken up five days to name her, but finally, they decided on a common name, Lucy Anne

Growing up, Lucy was shut away from the world. At social gatherings at their mansion she stay put in her room. Her parents told only a few select people they had a child. She only got a small pile of presents every birthday and Christmas. She knew at a young age her parents thought she was a disgrace. So to make up for her plain looks, she studied and learned. Soon, she found herself buying plenty of books and ordering lots of learning materials whenever they came to Diagon Alley. Her parents gave her the money, though, but their love they could never give

They never really noticed how far their daughter had gone far in learning. They never really thought about her education and they didn't stop to ponder where she could have learned her math and ABC's. They just assumed it was just…there.

The house-elf, Pafger, was always there for her though, nursing her and teaching her all kinds of things like cooking, gardening and telling her how to control her wandless/accidental magic

Eight years later after Lucy was born, the couple's wishes came true. The mother gave birth to a healthy girl with wisps of golden hair ruffled upon her small head. From then on, Lucy was ignored

They named the girl Gemma Aura, meaning jewel in the air. The couple cherished the little girl as if she was a goddess upon their home. They spoiled her and gave her everything she desired. Her father took her around the wizarding world, bragging her to his colleagues. Indeed, she was such a perfect child

Her parents destined for her future to be bright and glittering. They hired the best tutors to teach her gracefulness, etiquette, math, science, things about the magical world and the social happenings.

Lucy was shunned from the family. Lucy Anne loved her sister, but she was far too spoiled. Poor Pafger was always so tired from meeting Aura's demands that he had little, if none, time to teach her.

So there was Lucy Anne, shunned, friendless, lonely and unloved

But when she had birthdays beginning when her age was seven, she had received mysterious yet clearly valuable from an unidentified man. At first she thought it had been some kind of dingbat joke just ready to bomb out any moment but the things were harmless. In fact, they proved to be very useful. She used the invisibility cloaks to hide herself when she didn't want anyone to find her and the pocketknife she used to sneak into her sister's room and play with all the expensive and modern toys her parents had bought.

She had heard from her parents great things about Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She already had control over her wandless magic and she expected to be accepted. When her eleventh birthday finally came, she waited hours by her window for an owl but none was to be found.

"You are a disgrace to the family. Every one of our ancestors went to Hogwarts!" Her mother cried out

"I'm sorry! There must have been some mistake…" Lucy sobbed

"No! There's only one explanation. Who are a worthless squib" Father coldly said

"No! I'm not a squib. I have magic in me!" Lucy's tears poured freely out of her eyes and she hugged her father's waist

"Please father, there really must have been a mistake"

"Get off me squib!" The father kicked her daughter off him and Lucy fell hard to the floor, sobbing

Once the parents had exited, Pafger timidly came into the room

"Miss Lucy. You are not worthless" Pafger comfortingly said

"No! I am! My parents said so!" Lucy cried

"Do they know how smart you has been getting?" Pafger asked

"They never care!"

"You is a smart witch! I has seen what you can do and it is good. Hogwarts is made a mistake into not getting you" Pafger boldly said

"I have tried so hard, Pafger, to impress them" Lucy softly said

"They is very disappointing into not notice your good workings, miss." Pafger gently said

Throughout the rest of the year Lucy was preferred to as "squib" and even Aura was getting the hang of it. Pafger was always there to comfort her when she was treated badly. Abuse had started too. Her parents would slap her and punch her mercilessly until she was bruised and bumpy for the most silliest and stupidest reasons

But when her twelfth birthday arrived, she received another gift from the mysterious man and for the first time giving a letter. The man identified himself as Count Lodes and he was offering her a real home and unimaginable education. It was a tempting offer. She wanted more than ever to get out of the place

Wasting no time, she packed her bags and pocketed the portkey that came along. Before she could leave, she spoke to Pafger

"You is leaving" Pafger softly said

"Yes Pafger, I am. There is someone who wants to train me and give me a home. I cant live like this anymore Pafger" Lucy gently said, putting her hand on the elf's cheek. Tears spilled out of their eyes

"Pafger is proud you is leaving. I hope you will find happiness. Please write to Pafger" Pafger sobbed

"Of course I will. You're my true friend. I promise I will come back for you" Lucy said

"I hope you will. It will be very sad without Miss Lucy here" Pafger smiled

"I will miss you Pafger. Thank you for the basic education you gave me" Lucy said

"You're welcome miss. Hurry now, that thing in your pocket is glowing" Pafger sniffed

"Yes. Bye Pafger" Lucy took the portkey out

"Bye miss! Stay strong. Don't forget your veggies and your undies" Pafger cried out

"I'll miss you" Lucy hugged the elf and then held the portkey. Few seconds later, she disappeared

--

At the manor Lucy was very talented. Instead of six, there were only five because one didn't take the offer. She excelled more than her teammates and for once, she had a real home. She didn't forget to write to Pafger and tell her about the manor and the elf was so happy for her. She had everything a great Lodes graduate had to have (even more): wit, style, talent and popularity. She had sent a lot of muggle and wizard criminals to prison and broke the count's "savior record" by a long shot.

The count was very pleased with her that he personally asked her to stay behind a few years in the manor and help him and his wife teach a fresh new batch of students. Lucy couldn't agree more, to think, she was actually going to ask the count the same thing that very same day. Staying there forever was everything she ever wanted. When her teammates talked about life after the academy, she just couldn't join in. She was practically binded to the manor. When they talked of ambitions on the outside world, she found herself, which happened rarely, rendered speechless

When her classmates left and went their separate ways, she spent one week crying endlessly. They were her family and teammates and she knew they had a small chance of seeing each other again. But she knew she had to move on.

One letter from Pafger wrote a howler and announced her parents were dead. They were killed by a new dark wizard. Even though she never cared, she still was sad because they were her family. Aura survived, though. That's when she decided to change her name. _Permanently. _ Along with her name came the dorky look. She let loose her once- braided hairs and chimed down her upturned nose then straightened her crooked fingers. She kept her fire-golden eyes but threw the glasses away.

Combining her two names, Lucy Anne, Luc-y-a-n. She added an A. It became Luc-y-an-a

So then it was Luciana. She only told Pafger and she made him swear to secrecy. Since her parents never even bothered to take her out from the family tree legally, Pafger was bound to obey her to the death and Pafger was okay with that.

As she heard from Pafger, Aura had emptied the family's Gringott's vault and squandered the family fortune away. Generations of heirlooms and galleons now became sidewalk trinkets that resulted from her drug addiction and shopping. Pafger had sobbed when he saw the various valuable things with the family crest on it being given to worthless street scum. When Pafger suggested she get a job, she beat the poor elf mercilessly, saying that the family fortune could back her up for six lifetimes. But that was not true. Her father's many businesses all promptly failed when he died. Aura tried to keep up her father's companies but she didn't have the brains.

When she was in her late twenties, she learned one of the count's most dangerous yet amazing secrets. She had wondered before, how the count had trained and educated generations of children while never seeming to age. She hadn't found a single wrinkle in the count's kind face or a single white hair on Marcia's crown of red mane. She just assumed they were just _there_. That was not correct. The count and Marcia had a special stone concealed in there body. It wasn't the sorcerer's stone as she first assumed. It was a special sort of stone called the _Anima Calx_. It kept then alive and anti-aged.

The count shared with her that he wanted him to teach with them throughout the many years of children to go through and train in the future. He gave her a crystal golden stone with a single red blob inside that seemed the float. Under the blob was a tiny emerald. The emerald, the count said, was what made everything happen. She asked why but her refused to tell her until she fully understood, which would be in due time. Luciana was told to press the stone to her heart and in slow motion, he body absorbed it. When it was fully inside, she felt lighter than before.

Luciana was there for about two years when Strum came along. Strum approached the manor in a tattered coat and denim overalls. Luciana made a move to hex him but the count stopped her. He requested Strum himself. Strum was a very loony and frumpy person at start but as Luciana spent weeks with him, she found herself enthralled at his expertise and intelligence. Never had she known someone who could explain to her the things she never dreamed of knowing. The man had many experiences and Luciana was very delighted to hear them. She knew he wasn't lying for it was in his jolly old eyes and the way he talked about them so passionately. Strum knew many things and Luciana, up to the present, is still amazed

When Strum was about to leave, Luciana dropped to her knees and begged Strum to stay. Strum slept on it and the next day he, with great joy, told her he would. He said that he never met anyone _that_ amazing and fiery. He said she had fire in her eyes and a heart that endlessly danced for yearning and want. Strum was given a whole tower to himself and Luciana would spend days leafing through his dog-eared old books and marveling at his rare and odd things.

She taught two batches of students before _this_ _one _came along.

She knew there was going to be something exciting and good about this batch that none ever had. She could feel it in her heart. The count told her that they would fight in a war against a dark wizard named Voldemort. He was the one who turned down his position in the manor and Luciana was angered at him for that. Who could ever pass up such an opportunity?

She trained this batch passionately and superiorly. She was very close to them and they were close to her

That was all that mattered

**A/N**

**Here we are, the promised chapter dedicated to Luciana. Goodness, I didn't know it would be this long. Don't worry, this wont be the last we hear of the **_**ah-mazing**_** (note sarcasm) Aura. Now you know how everything happened. I love you guys!**

**Next Update will be on MARCH 25 2008. **

**REVIEW!**


	17. Escape

Escape

**Escape**

"Lucy Anne? What does he mean?" Brian asked. They were still in the middle of a crisis with no chance of escaping.

"Lucy didn't tell you? She's not who you think she is" Voldemort laughed coldly

"Not now Aerobe" Luciana said through gritted teeth. Tears were slowly streaking her eyes and some fell to her cheeks

"No! Go on Lucy. Tell everyone you've been lying to them all along" Voldemort icily said, pointing his wand at her neck, daring her to talk

When Luciana kept quiet, Voldemort laughed evilly

"Keeping quiet are we? Lets see what your sister thinks of this" Voldemort snapped his fingers and instantly, a woman appeared.

She looked very old but she still had traces of a true person. Her hair was gray, her back was hunched and her teeth were gnarled.

"No way" Luciana whispered to herself. She seemed to know the woman from a distant dream

"What? No hug? I didn't expect any from you anyway" The woman said, her voice phlegmy

"Aura"

"Thought you'd recognize me soon enough. Though it was very long ago when you left the house after I intercepted one special letter of yours" Aura cackled filthily, wiping her saliva with the back of her hand

"It was you! You intercepted my Hogwarts letter which forced mom and dad to ignore me" Luciana screamed, now everything was at place

"Figured it out, eh? Well, I couldn't have you staining our family" Aura said, her nose flaring in an ugly manner

"Oh really, was it I who sold our heirlooms to street scum? Or was it I who demolished our ancestral house in Switzerland? You're the disgrace" Luciana gravely said, tears beginning to form at her eyes.

"I had to dear sister"

"How could you have lived this long? You joined Voldemort's ranks?" Luciana shockingly asked

"The dark lord promised me many things and soon, when I wipe out all of you, I shall have it. The family name will rise again. And as for living this long, the dark lord has many wonders up his sleeve." Aura snarled

"Enough!" Voldemort cried. He flicked his wand and Aura flew out of the room. The seven Voldemorts stood still

"Yes Voldemort, Enough" Harry rose from his crumpled state and glared at the man who has caused so much in the wizarding world

"Enough killing, enough making people feel bad, enough dark magic and enough of your craziness. Voldemort you are getting nothing, not even world domination from what you are doing. I know you won't stop. But we'll stop you" Harry said

"Yes, brave speech. You know how powerful I am boy, and right now I multiplied myself to seven, the greatest magical number. How could you possibly defeat me?" Voldemort chuckled

"Not now. But we will" Harry looked at his teammates, Luciana and Marcia and nodded curtly. Thankfully, Voldemort didn't notice their communication

"NOW GUYS"

Right there, eight animals appeared. They had transformed into their animagus forms and were tearing up the scene. Roars, screams and screeches were all around. Voldemort and his doppelgangers were defenseless for they hadn't expected this to happen and their guard was let down.

Finally, when the enemies were all knocked down, they hurried through the empty halls and changed into their human forms

"Good Plan mate" Neil clapped his hand on Harry's shoulder

"I know. I'm glad we followed through" Harry panted.

They had been running through the endless maze of hallways for a few minutes now and they still didn't know how to get out. The gashes and wounds were bound to stall him-them- for just a few minutes

"Wait! How about Ron and Hermione?" Helena asked. All of them halted to a stop, their feet making screeching sounds

"Oh no! We can't even remember which room we put them in!" Neil cried out

"I completely _forgot _we took them!" Green whined

"Wait, you mean you left my friends alone? How could you?" Ashley madly asked

"Well, we had to sort out our priorities" Lachine sneered

"Yeah. Who are they compared to the girl who lived about to be killed by a crazed old loon?" Brian sarcastically said

"Well enough of this. Where are they?" Harry asked

"They were in the first room Voldemort brought you in. In a closet somewhere" Green scratched her head trying to remember

"I know where it is! Follow me" Harry grinned.

Harry seemed to know where he was going so the group just followed. After five minutes or so, Ashley complained. Luciana and Marcia were half carrying, half dragging her so they could move

"How do you know where we are going?" Ashley asked, tired to the bone

"Unlike some people, I actually revived from the Cruciaticus curse and stayed awake when death eaters dragged our bodies to another room. You see those burn marks there, I made them as markers to find my way back" Harry explained, pointing to a small black burn mark on the wall

"How did you do that?"

"I kind of got some wandless magic revived after the curse and I made them" Harry simply said

They followed the seemingly random burn marks although the hallways, turning sharply at every so corner. Until finally, they came to a door

"I think this must be it" Luciana panted

Wasting no time, Helena and Brian kicked the door open so that it shambled into many pieces. They quickly went into the closet where they found two bodies curled up in the floor. The group shook them to wake up and finally, their eyes stirred open

"We have to get out of here quickly" Green whispered quietly.

The two slowly stood up as if they woke from a very long sleep. When they were able to gain consciousness to what Green said, they stood up.

"Wait, you knocked us out!" Hermione shrilly said

"Yes I know. Scream at us later. For now, let's get out of here while the many dark lords are still out"

"Fine" Ron exasperatedly said.

"Come on…this way"

They bolted through the hidden passageway and found their way back to the wooden basement where they first found themselves knocked out

"Where to now" Neil asked

"I don't have time for this. Look outside. It looks like there are trees" Harry pointed to the wooden walls that had cracks in it. Sure enough, traces of green leaves could be found

"Why didn't I notice that before?" Brian furrowed his eyebrows

"We had better priorities then" Lachine said, frowning at him

In no time they managed to knock the wooden wall down and found themselves facing the forest again. They ran away as far as possible from the house

"Let's go back. I think we can apparate to Hogsmeade and just tread our way to Hogwarts. I assume you had practiced Apparition?" Neil looked pointedly at Ron, Hermione and Ashley

"I did it perfectly, Ron splinched his eyebrow and Ashley isn't seventeen yet so she wasn't allowed to practice" Hermione primly said

"Fine. I'll take Ashley for side-along apparition and you'll all follow through. Hogsmeade, okay?" Marcia said

"'Kay, let's go"

--

Minutes later, they found themselves walking the rough road from Hogsmeade to Hogwarts. When they saw sight of the castle, they jumped for joy

"We made it out Alive!" Ron jovially cried out

They sprinted their way to the grounds and inside the building. They were greeted by warmth and golden lights. Some students stared at them as they sped to the headmaster's office

"Gummy Bears"

Ashley opened Dumbledore's aging creaky door and they saw the Potters and Count Lodes seated around Dumbledore's table

"Headmaster, we need a word with you" Harry gravely said. His eyes became bloodshot and his skin paled a lot

--

**A/N**

**Sorry I wasn't able to update in 25. I got a fever after we went on a beach vacation and I couldn't get rid of it for days. Please believe me. You already know my style. If I don't update on time something must have been wrong. Please forgive me but I couldn't really grit my teeth and walk to the computer. **

**Anyway, so the gang was able to escape (whoop-dee-doo). The only clue I can give you for the next chapter is that there will be a lot of yelling and someone will try to commit suicide. The next chapter will be out in THREE WEEKS TOPS because we're going on vacation. **

**If you don't like my writing style or how the plot is dragging on or they're too random or its just plain bad, just write me in the review. If you think my story is nice and I should continue, let me know because I will **_**LOVE**_** that. **

_**Au Revoir!**_


	18. Confrontations

**Confrontations**

"Pumpkin, your back!" Lily Potter cried, speeding to embrace her daughter tightly

"I'm fine mom...we barely escaped but...I'm good" Ashley assured her mother

James' face contorted into disgust. It seemed he was very _in_at what they were discussing and apparently didn't want it to be interrupted. He seemed unfazed by the affection going on

"As agreed, we found out the hideout. Not only that, we have names" Harry gravely said. Their faces paled. Everyone knew what _names_ meant nowadays. If they were revealed to the world, it would cause turmoil

"Not only that, we found out a rather _odd_new power of Voldemort" Green told them. Dumbledore eagerly lifted his head, hanging on to their every word

"Its something none of us had seen before. Its not exactly horcrux but..." Brian uneasily started

"In short, he divided himself into seven. Its not in objects but really live" Neil rolled his eyes as if unaffected by the seriousness.

Everyone fell silent after that. Lily and James' mouths were agape and Dumbledore was shaking his head in that usual I-should-have-known way. Harry bit his lip as so not to laugh at them. He didnt know what was making him laugh so he had to control it.

"I should have known he'd figure out things like that. He's very determined" Dumbledore sadly shook his head

"We figured that out years ago. Helena whispered to Lachine and they both let out smiles.

"But how..."

"Its called the multiplier effect" A voice rang out in the shadows. Everyone was surprised to see Count Lodes leaning over a pole and juggling one of Dumbledore's weird contraptions in his left hand. Up and down it went

"Could you please put that down. Its rather rare" Dumbledore's strained voice asked. The count merely grinned and threw it over his head and it landed perfectly on one of the bookshelves.

"Tell us about this" James urged

"The multiplier effect is a power only known by Merlin and Morgana. They were so proud that they didnt want anyone to know about it and how to do it. They didnt even show it to anyone. In their pride, the secret died when they passed away. Some people believe it, some dont. Now that they've seen the magic come to life, I guess its real" The count continued

"How could he have found this out?" Lily asked

"As somebody once said, he is determined" The count said, pointedly looking at Dumbledore.

Of course the group had known about the multiplier effect. But when the count had discussed it with them, he treated it like it was an urban legend, just one of the many myths the count had told them. But now it seemed like everything was real

"It seems like he's unstoppable" James sighed, bowing his head as if admitting defeat

"Now dont lose hope...we still have one more chance in defeating him" Dumbledore consoled

"Not unless that shot will be ready in time" Harry fired back. No one even looked at Ashley

_"How can they talk as if I'm not here?" _Ashley angrily asked herself in silence

"And that is what we wanted to discuss about" Lachine suddenly said

"It seems very unlikely that Ashley will be ready in time" Brian said, not caring that Ashley, her family was there

"What makes you say that?" Lily sneered

"For one thing, she was the one who gave our positions away. We had to put a silencing charm on her to stop her jabbering about the 'untamed environment'." Neil explained

"The spell wore off eventually without us noticing but when it was off..." Helena nervously started, as if scared to finish

"She was screaming like an idiot" Green finished

"Well, of course she was going to shout. You put a spell on her" James snarled. A normal person would have been scared by the look he was giving but the group remained indifferent

"Oh, you seriously dont think that was all, dont you?" Harry madly asked

"What else is there?"

"Argon got hit by the Cruciaticus curse, we had to knock Hermione and Ron down, we had to climb up walls and roofs and Aerobe almost dueled a death eater!" Neil angrily said, his violet eyes flaring like crazy

"Are these stories true Miss Potter?" Dumbledore asked

"Tell the truth, Ashley. If you dont, remember Argon was there with you and Watts has mastered Veritaserum at age thirteen" Helena threatened

"How dare you threaten her?" James stood up and marched over to her

"Keep away from her Mister Potter or else we will be forced to resort to other things which I promise you, will be very unpleasant" Harry stared James in the eye and James hesitantly backed away

"Its true" Ashley meekly said, nodding her head

"Oh dear" Dumbledore said

"I'm sorry sir but we can train her but it never can measure up to six years of hardcore lessons" Lachine said but she didnt sound the least bit sorry

"Be careful of your words young lady. James, why dont you tell everyone what we've been doing these last few days" Lily coolly said, looking at James

"We've been digging up things about you all. How you've suddenly appeared in the world with no records" James triumphantly said

"As if that scares us" Brian said while Neil was faking a yawn

"Yes, even dull people such as yourself should know that identity is the biggest secret you have" Luciana spoke up

"So go on James Potter, dig up more information. Be our guest, see if you can find the least bit of info and if you do, let us know...we would be happy to _correct_them" Harry smirked while the rest of them sniggered

"You might think that young man but know this: you have been our main target" Lily warned

"Whatever, bring it on" Harry rolled his eyes

"Back to what we were talking about...Ashley is our only chance, she's the girl who lived and therefore is destined to save the world" Dumbledore firmly said

"I dont think that" Hermione piped up suddenly, which shocked everyone

"Why?"

"We still have what the sorting hat said...united we stand, divided we fall...house unity can save us. One fourth of Hogwarts is made up of Slytherins which we have prejudiced into mini-death eaters. If we can convince them to turn to light, Ashley might be saved some of the work" Hermione nervously explained while everyone shockly stared at her

"Ms Granger, you do realize some of the Slytherins are death eater spawns. Blood is still thicker than water" Dumbledore softly said

"But..."

"No buts. Ashley is our only chance...she was into the fight with the dark lord since the beginning and she will damn well end it" Lily insisted while giving out death glares

"And that brings us to another thing, sir" Harry said

"What now" James rolled his eyes

"Voldemort said this fight has nothing to do with Ashley" Harry softly said

"Mere lies" Lily menacingly said

"I agree"

"It sounded true" Harry defended

"So are you saying Ashley isnt the chosen one?"

" I dont know..." For once, Harry was lost for words. It was true, he didnt know. He was as confused as Ashley was when he said those words to them

"There are only two sides on this war and that is light and dark. So long as you're against Voldemort we're in the same side" Green said

"What does that mean?"

"It means this war is our priority problem. Some people refuse to cooperate" Brian looked pointedly at the Potters

"The point is, we will help you win this war. But dont interfere with our methods" Lachine hissed

"I agree" Dumbledore said

"What?!" Lily shockly asked

"Wether you like it or not, Lily, we need them in this war" Dumbledore explained

"Fine" James hesitatingly said, narrowing his eyes

"Not only us, Headmaster, you need everyone in the Wizarding world" Helena said

"Send reforms to the giants, werewolves, goblins, even house elves and why not dementors? These are creatures the dark lord has recruited and we need them on our side again" Marcia said

"House elves, dementors? What poppycock!" James cried out

"I'm afraid they're right" Dumbledore sighed, bowing his head

"Lots of people are very loyal to you and Ashley, sir. Heck, many are willing to even die for her. Such as your order of the phoenix and even the ministry" Brian said. Everyone knew he was right. Everyone here...almost everyone anyway...was willing to die for the side of light...

_"Many people are wiling to die for me. I cant let this happen. I wont let others die for my sake. I dont want them sacrificing for my safety. All of this is my fault. If I hadnt been born, maybe I wont have to carry this painful burden. My brother Harry could have gotten it. He was brave enough to run away and i know he still is brave. He could have been the chosen one. Why me?"_

_"Why me?"_

_"I didnt do anything to deserve this, the lives of innocent people hanging on me and hte fate of the whole world in my palms. There's only one way to solve it and that is..."_

_"If I would be gone"_

**A/N**

**Okay, I finally updated. Bit of surpirse of who's going to commit suicide, did anyone see this coming, I know none of you did.**

**Honestly, I think my chapters are getting worse and worse each day, at least that's what I think. What do you think? Is the plot still keeping you alive?**

**Next update on MAY17.****Okay, before you complain, you have to know I'm not at home and the nearest internet cafe is 13 blocks away. I cant bear to write in the laptop because its a shared one. My personal one is at home. If you really want to know, I dont want my family to learn about fanfics. They'll start nosing around and you know the rest**

**Luv you all, keep on reviewing. **


	19. Suicide

Suicide

**Suicide**

Ashley sat on the ledge of the Astronomy Tower's largest window, staring at the Hogwarts grounds. She looked at the people there from innocent little first years playing around to stressed upperclassmen gathered around in the grass studying for the tests. Her feet dangled aimlessly as she kicked back and forth

She contemplated on how amazing it was that they were as happy and content as can be when their cowardly savior of the world was about to end her life. The girl realized how much danger she put on Hogsmeade and Hogwarts just by attending the school. The death eaters wouldn't have had their hideout there if she wasn't somewhat nearby

Her thoughts wavered to her lost brother Harry. From the moment he left she decided he was brave. He was brave enough to go away. He should have been the one blessed (or cursed) with the wretched scar. She figured if Harry had the guts to run away, he would have the guts to save the wizard world

"_But what would happen to the world once I'm gone?"_

--

The silence of the Hogwarts castle was disturbed by a piercing scream from the Gryffindor tower.

Lavender Brown just found a letter from Ashley sitting innocently on the side table.

_To my friends Lavender and Parvati and maybe the rest of the students_

_Hello probably isn't the best greeting under the circumstances of the contents of this letter. This is going to be very hard to say so now I write it. Whilst you're reading this I am on the ledge of a window on the astronomy tower watching the grounds below. Sorry to have disappointed you but your so-called 'savior of light' is nothing more than a mere coward. _

_I just realized how much pressure the world has put to me. I cant face the dark lord even though I know I am destined to. Running away wont cure it because the guilt will slowly take me away. _

_ I honestly don't know what to do now or what you will do when I'm gone. The only perfect solution is that if I am dead_

_Don't try to stop me. One mere step and I am going to jump out on the tallest tower in Hogwarts_

_ Take Care_

_ Ashley Potter_

Instead of running to the Headmaster or the teachers, Lavender went to the group of Count Lodes. She was convinced this had everything to do with them. She found them lounging crossed legged in the grass, talking

"And then I said to him what are you--ahh!" Helena screamed as she toppled down. In Lavender's fury, she _accidentally_ hit her

"What's your problem?" Everyone got into their fighting stances

"This! I'm convinced that because of the load of shit you put in her head, she's killing herself" Lavender screeched ash she threw the letter at their feet

"What kind of people are you?" Lavender cried out

"What is that?" Brian asked

"Read it, twit! I don't care what kind of mumbo jumbo you put in her brain but she's my friend and you have gone too far!" Lavender cried

"Girl's gone off her rocker" Neil grinned

"Guys, I don't think this is a joke" Green just finished reading the letter and she held it in her hands. Suddenly, all color drained from her face

"What do you mean?" Lachine asked through gritted teeth

"Ashley's going to kill herself" Green said

"YES! That's it! You corrupted her brain. I knew you never were fond of her but this is just plain mean." Lavender sobbed

"We didn't have anything to do with this" Harry worriedly said, fearing the very worst

"Yeah right" Lavender scoffed

"No, really, why would we want her dead?" Green asked

"I don't know with your pathetic little brains" Lavender snarled " She told me you didn't like her that much but this is just too messed up!"

"Lets go to this tower now"

"Cant you read? As soon as she sees us coming, she'll jump" Lavender sneered

"Wait a minute, I have an idea!" Neil said

"What?"

"Lavender, is there a window directly below where Ashley is right now?" Neil asked

"Of course there is!" Lavender humphed

"That's it. Some of us will go to her and try to have small talk. When she jumps, which I know she will do, someone will fly on a broomstick and rescue her. The one who does that must be stationed on the window below her," Neil excitedly said

"That's brilliant, but who will catch her?" Brian asked

" I will" Harry said and everyone grinned at him. Of course he would be the one to do it.

"Lets go"

--

Ashley heard footsteps coming up to the tower and turned so her back was facing the grounds

"One step closer" Ashley warned, her voice quivering

"Its me, Ash" Lavender quietly said

"Oh, well, don't move, I'm jumping" Ashley said, frowning

"Ash, you aren't serious are you?" Lavender asked, raising her eyebrows

"I've made up my mind" Ashley stubbornly said

"Please, there's more to life" Lavender thought the line was cheesy but it was all she could come up with

"Don't give me that crap, You don't know what its like, Lavender, to have to face the darkest sorcerer of all time and the fate on innocent people on your hand" Ashley sobbed

"Your right, I don't know what its like. But if you jump, you die a coward. If you die in front of the dark lord, you die with honor" Lavender told her

"If I die with honor, the people would face the darkest of times" Ashley mumbled

"At least that darkest of times would be in the future, not tomorrow after you kill yourself" Lavender said

"If I die now, I would be at peace, knowing that I'm safe" Ashley concluded

"If you die now the dark lord will not hesitate to plunder Hogwarts the very moment you breath your last" Lavender told her

"Its complicated" Ashley sighed

"I know. If you die now, the people will lose hope earlier in the war. At least they still have an icon of hope. You are the only thing keeping this world from screaming and bowing down to you-know-who" Lavender said, tears falling down her cheeks

"Lavender, Its just too hard" Ashley cried out

"Please Ashley, do it for your friends sake. I mean, who will tell me if I look sluttish in those pants or of I would look gaudy in these earrings? You would deprive me of a friend and fashion guide" Lavender smiled

"Well, there's always the mirror" Ashley giggled

Just then, someone in the back sneezed and pushed Lavender forward

"Who is that?" Ashley angrily asked

"Us. Ashley, you are being ridiculous" Brian said and the rest appeared in front of her

"I told you one more move" Ashley said as she stood up on the ledge

"Ashley get back here!" Neil cried out

The girl turned so she faced the outside

"Ashley this is delusional" Lachine urged

"Good bye everyone" Whispered Ashley as she slipped and threw herself down the window

--

Harry's hands became as cold as ice. He feared for his sister. He didn't want her to die like that. If he didn't get this right, the fate of everyone would be at stake

He kept praying and praying to whoever was _really_ up there running the world to just please change her sister's mind

_Please, just let her live. If she lives, I'll tell her who I really am_

It was a promise, one he intended to keep

Out of the blue, the signal they had agreed upon flashed in front of him. He leaped on to the broom and flew outside

In greatest timing, he caught the seemingly unconscious Ashley in his arms. He flew down and set on the ground.

He then heard something

"_Harry"_ Ashley whispered and then slumped back in Argon's arms

"You did it mate" Brian congratulated as they raced to him

"Yeah, I did"

"Why is she unconscious?" Lavender asked

"There's nothing wrong with her physically but judging from what I can collect, she's in a coma" Lachine said

"But you just said there was no problem" Lavender cried

"No _ physical _problem"

"So you mean…" Neil began

"No way! It rarely happens" Helena seemed to have read their minds

"Well, she is emotionally unstable" Lachine said

"What the heck is wrong with her?" Lavender sobbed by her friend's side

"She's in an emotional coma"

As if by timing, Dumbledore, the Potters and Madame Pomfrey and surprisingly Green came running to them

"I told them all about what happened" Green cheekily smiled

"Oh my poor baby, frightened by the dark lord" Lily cooed to the unconscious figure

"She still has a heartbeat. Green, she's in an emotional coma" Harry told her

"Really? That's rare" Green said

"What did you freaks do to her?" James Potter angrily asked

"Us? Your suicidal spawn did everything. Be thankful we were there to save her. She would have been dead sprawled on the ground if it weren't for us" Helena screeched

"Let's talk later, for now, bring my daughter to the Hospital Wing" Lily sobbed

--

"She's safe" Harry muttered to himself as he sat by the fire, sipping hot chocolate

"Yeah, she is…who knew she would have the guts to jump?" Green asked, amazed

"She's freaking safe" Harry muttered again and again

"Looks like this ones facing some emotional problem too" Brian joked

"Guys, once she wakes up, we're in trouble" Harry said, contemplating on the promise he made

"What! Why?" Helena asked, shocked

"I kind of swore if she survives this, we would tell her our identities. My identity for instance" Harry quietly said

"YOU WHAT!?"

--

**Okay guys thanks for being so patient. I couldn't update in the seventeenth because my laptop wasn't fixed yet and I really DESPISE working on shared computers. **

**So thanks to everyone who reads this and I will update soon **

**REVIEWS ARE REALLY APPRECIATED**


	20. Realm of Choice

Realm of Choice

**Realm of Choice**

A raven-haired girl woke up in the middle of a misty and foggy space. She felt like she had been asleep for months and maybe even years. Said girl struggled to stand up and when she finally did, she was stumbling. It seemed like she was standing on a ground more soft than sand. She looked down and saw she was standing on clouds

"Whoa, did I really die?" She wondered out loud. Waking up in a cloud seemed very cliché but it meant that she was dead and was in heaven

"No one who commits suicide goes to the happier place…so I couldn't be in heaven" She muttered to herself

"You are not dead miss Potter" A phlegmy voice said, "You are in limbo"

"Who are you?" Ashley rubbed here eyes

"I am the one who watches all over," The man said

"So, like God?" Ashley asked

"No, but sort of close" The man smiled to himself

"Oh…. so can you tell me why I am here and not in hell or some other place for my eternal rest?" Ashley asked, brushing off lint from her clothes

"You are in an emotional coma. It means that your body cannot function well because the emotional part is close to dying" The man said

"So my feelings are dying?" Ashley asked

"Yes and No. You are emotionally unstable. You feel pressured yet relaxed, loving but hateful and content yet searching. Your mind, body and heart couldn't take it all and it decided to lower down" The man explained

"So I can still wake up?" Ashley hopefully asked

"Why would you want to wake up? You committed suicide!" The man said

"So, it was like a spur-of-the-moment thing. When can I wake up?" Ashley indignantly asked

"When you are able to work out your feelings," The man said

"How can I do that?"

"That is why you are here. You see, this place is called 'Realm of Choice'. This is where people in limbo or in your case comas decide if they still want to see the sunrise. If you decide to live you move on to the Realm of Faith' which is where we help you evaluate the things you have done and if the leader decides you are regretful enough, you move on to the Realm of Hope where you will be briefed on what to say and do when you wake up. After that you go to the Realm of Awakening where you will go on a journey back to your body"

"Where will I go if I decide not to live?" Ashley asked

"To the Realm of Judgment. I think the name of the place explains enough what you will do there," The man continued

"You mentioned a leader. Who and what is that?" Ashley curiously asked

"The leader is the one who runs the Realm of Faith. You will not actually meet him but you will meet his most trusted subjects who will decide for you" The man said

"Are there leaders for the other realms too?" Ashley asked, curiosity building up inside her

"Yes but they are not as active as the one in the realm of faith. The only time they get action is when something isn't functioning properly" The man politely answered

"What if they say I am not regretful enough?" Ashley asked

"You re-evaluate" The man simply said

"So I am in the Realm of Choice?" Ashley asked

"Yes. I will be your guide as long as you are in the different Realms. Everyone has a guide. " The man said

"What if I take too long and everyone back home decides I'm dead?" Ashley worriedly asked

"When you are here no one regards time. I assure you as long as you are here on the land of Realms you will eventually lose track of time and feel like your just floating by the minutes. But as long as you keep up that heartbeat they will take no actions"

"Oh. You mentioned something of a journey. What do you mean?" Ashley asked

"Have you heard of the myth of Orpheus? When he came to the realm of Hades to rescue his beloved?" The man asked

"Yes" Ashley said

"He faced a journey back to the surface and some monsters were jeering at him until he couldn't resist a look at his lover and spoiled everything. The journey will be similar. There will be flashbacks of the things you did. Some hurtful, some painful and some just general. If you give up and say 'I don't deserve to live' you will be dragged back to the realm. The trick is to ignore them, just keep walking and think that 'I deserve a chance'" The man explained

"It must be hard resisting" Ashley said

"Yes. Very Hard. It is part of what you learn in the Realm of Awakening on how to resist, what to think and just keep a straight head. But some people just have too much guilt and hurt in their lives that they get dragged back. That's why most who survive the journey and wake up become stronger than before" The man explained

"Well, I think I can handle it" Ashley sighed, wishing she was braver

"You have to" The man leaned down and whispered in her ear

"Okay" Ashley said

"As your guide I am ordered to force you into contemplating wether or not you want to live. This is a very important decision. It is part of what you do in the realm of choice. You are given time to think about it wether you like it or not." The man firmly said

"How will I know if the time is over?" Ashley asked

"I will come. Please Ashley, think this over" The man said

"Why does one need to 'think it over'? Isn't the person sure of what they want when asked?" Ashley questioned

"Like you said, their answers maybe just 'spur-of-the-moment statements" The man chuckled to himself

"I expect a reason for your choice when I come back" The man told her

Before Ashley could comment, the man vanished. Just like apparition but will less 'cracks'

The girl frowned and realized if there was one thing she detested it was being alone. She always wanted someone to talk to and now she had no choice. She had even forgot to ask the man's name for goodness sake!

She turned her back to see she was in a different room. The room had a wooden study table and a modest bed. All around the room there were signs floating everywhere that harbored quotes about life and choices. They were supposed to help her decide

"_Life is a sum of all the choices you make" Albert Camus_

"_It's not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are" Roy Disney _

Then she thought about her body. Could she feel in the state she was in? Like, could she feel the need to go pee, a pinch in the arm and maybe even sleepiness?

She looked at her forearm and studied it for a long time. She knew if she decided to back down she couldn't feel. She pinched herself and it hurt and stung a lot.

_That's It!_

That was the reason she wanted to go back. She wanted to _feel._ The word alone made her feel giddy and excited. Surely that was enough. She could back it up with some more statements because she was sure that others must have used that reason and maybe those others were told that it wasn't a good reason.

She had to find something to convince the man that _feeling_ is a humongous reason to go back. That feelings make up the entire person and with no feelings, the person wouldn't be considered alive and she wanted to _be_ alive

She happily lay down on the bed, pleased with her theory of feelings.

But then it hit her. She was in an emotional coma. A coma that involved her feelings. How could she be so sure she wanted to feel again when her own emotions had almost given up? How could she be sure her heart could still take it?

"Okay that was reason number one but I'm sure he's expecting more" Ashley muttered to herself, setting herself on the bed

The second was just so desperate. It was that she never found her brother Harry and really talked to him. That was the second reason: forgiveness. There were so many people she had hurt during the course of her life that she couldn't just stay put until she knew everyone was good with her. Still, it was a good reason to live

And the next one was too cliché. It was love. The emotion she received from her parents felt like just admiration. She wanted love. The one that it took Lavender to say those words to her in the tower, the love that Dumbledore held for the school. The kind of love that someone would die for. She longed for love more than anything

"I think three should be enough, after all, third time's the charm!" Ashley smugly thought

She lay down on the bed, looking at the cloudy ceiling, smiling to herself until she dozed off to sleep

--

"Be strong Ashley" Lavender whispered to her friend as she sat down beside her hospital bed, clutching Ashley's cold hand

Silently, as Harry stood at the foot of the bed stroking her ankle, he was straining inside his mind thinking

"Come on sis, you're stronger than this. Wake up" Harry grieved.

Although he really wanted to cry, it would make the Potters suspicious if he showered tears because judging from what they knew, he wasn't _that_ fond of her.

"She'll be fine Argon. She's in the Realm of Choice, she's safe." Green assured him, talking very silently so the others couldn't hear them

In their training, they had learned about what people in limbo or comas went through. They would go to the Realm of choice and decide if they still want to live. If not, they went to the Realm of Judgment. If yes, they advance to the realm of faith where they evaluate what they have done and if they pass, they wont undergo re-evaluation and move on to the Realm of Hope where they will learn what to do once waken up. The hardest part was the Realm of Awakenings where the person would make a painful, tempting and hard journey down to their body.

Where the count had gathered so much information, they didn't know. The ones who had come down weren't supposed to tell what happened and veritaserum wouldn't work either

"How do you know she won't choose to go to the realm of judgment?" Harry asked

"We gathered the suicide thing was just done on impulse. After the rocky mission and all…" Brian trailed off

"What do you mean?" Harry asked

"You know, after our first mission, most of us never wanted to do those kind of things again but we resisted giving up until we got the hang of it. She was just too stressed she found no other solution" Neil knowledgably said

"We figured she thought everything would be alright. She wants to live, but not under the pressure of being girl-who-lived. I just hope she goes through the Realm of Awakenings" Lachine muttered

"She will live. And she's safe. I know it" Helena patted his back

"Hey you remember that I could see her life through my dreams. Let's hope we'll be lucky tonight" Harry grinned

"Yeah. The dreams stopped after we got to Hogwarts, right? Probably because you're near" Green told him

"So now that we're kind of far, maybe I could see…" Harry said, his hopes gathering up

"No, its impossible. The land of realms cant be penetrated. At least, not by other methods. That method I haven't encountered yet. Maybe you can try" Brian encouragingly said

"Don't touch her you freak" James snapped Harry's hand away from Ashley's ankle

"I think you owe him that, Mr. Potter. After all, it was Argon who flew a broom to save your daughter's life." Helena hissed at him making him flinch

"I still think you have something to do with this" James accusingly said

"Save? You call that saving? She's in a coma!" Lily ejaculated

"She jumped because she was emotionally hurt. She was as unconscious as she would have been here anyway. Don't worry, she has a heartbeat." Neil assumingly said

"Watts, can I talk to you for a minute?" Harry asked, pulling Neil's arm

"What?" Neil asked

"I doubt Ashley can go through the realms. She's not strong enough. Is there someway I can transport myself there?" Harry asked

"Well, you don't have to worry because everyone in the realms has a guide, remember? But I've heard the count say the guides aren't _that _much helpful" Neil crossed his arms over his chest

"That's why I want to go there," Harry desperately said

"I don't know, Harry. I've heard of only one person who has successfully done that and that was Grindelwald. I think that was part of why he and Dumbledore had a fight over. Then again, the fewest books mention the land of realms" Neil explained

"You want to go to the land of realms?" Lachine suddenly whispered to his ear

Harry looked back and saw the others have been listening to their conversation too

"Wow, so you're eavesdropping now huh?" Harry chuckled

"Hard to resist. Harry, I think that its really wicked you want to go there" Brian excitedly said

"Wait, if Argon gets to go, I get to go" Green pointed to herself

"Unfair. Hey, why don't we all go?" Helena jumped up and down excitedly

"That would be messed up" Harry chortled

"I think it's a great idea" A voice joined in. It was Luciana, leaning against the door

"You think?" Neil asked

"It's a great idea, but really impossible." Luciana grinned.

"No it isn't. Grindelwald did it!" Lachine indignantly said

"I've only known two people who have done it." Luciana said

"Really? Who's the other one?" Brian asked. Luciana just smiled but Neil seemed to get it

"Oh my god! So that's why the count knows all about it. Was he in a coma too?" Neil curiously asked

"No. Like Argon's plan, he just wanted to help someone" Luciana said

"Who?"

"I'm not in the position to tell you" Luciana told them all

--

When it seemed like she had just awakened from a long sleep, Ashley sat up and combed through her black-and-red hair with her fingers. Like her father, she had mastered the 'just got out of bed' hairdo which kind of looked good on her.

True to the man's word, she had lost track of how many nights, days, minutes and hours she had spent on the realm of choice. But se was assured because the man told her time wasn't of the essence and didn't really matter.

She really hoped it didn't

Suddenly, she heard someone clear her throat behind her. She was expecting to find the man awaiting her decision but instead found a boy of her age who had shaggy blonde hair and handsome brown eyes. Suddenly, she was awestruck

"W-who are y-you?" Ashley stuttered, looking at her feet to hide her blush

"My guide wasn't able to make it so the leader of the Realm of Choice assigned me to share guides with you. My name is Tyron" The guy smiled goofily and extended his arm. Ashley shook his hand with her cold, sweaty one. He had an American accent, which made Ashley want to melt

"So what are you in for?" They both asked at the same time. They stared at each other awkwardly and then laughed

"I did suicide yet failed to be dead. I'm 'emotionally unstable' " Ashley said, making air quotes

"Really? I was hit by a car and I'm in a plain simple coma," Tyron said

"Oh, so you're a muggle.." Ashley sadly said. She had nothing against muggles but she really wanted to explain things to this guy and some of them would be too hard to say if he wasn't a wizard

"No. My aunt homeschools me. We live in San Francisco" He proudly stated

"Wow, home schooled huh" Ashley said

"Well, judging by your posh English accent, you live in Europe, I presume?" Tyron asked

"London, actually. But I go to school in Scotland. To Hogwarts, have you heard of it?" Ashley replied

"Yeah, I've heard of it. My great great great grandfather went to school there and entered America. That's where he met my triple g grandmother" Tyron explained

"Oh, so they migrated. So you're like, last blood? And oh, don't worry, I'm not one of those people who discriminate by wizard blood. I'm half-blood actually. My mother went to Hogwarts as a muggle born" Ashley told him

"I knew you weren't that type" Tyron grinned

"So did some of your other relatives go back to Europe?" Ashley asked

"My great great grandparents went to Europe. They stayed there and grandmother was born. They died in Europe and my grandmother went to America to take back my great grandfather's land. My grandma married a wizard but he died so she married again to a muggle" Tyron said

"Wow, that's a long story" Ashley joked

"Well, my great grandparents were both magic, my mother was half. So yeah, I guess I'm last. " Tyron smiled at her

"Oh, that's kind of great. If our kind hadn't married muggles we'd have died out" Ashley smiled. Too bad Tyron lived in America; he would have made a great…

"So, I never got your name" Tyron said, stirring Ashley out of her thoughts

"Oh, its Ashley. Ashley Potter." Ashley grinned.

"_Please let Tyron like me for who I am, not because I killed Voldemort" _Ashley pleaded to her thoughts

"Oh yeah, the girl who vanquished the dark lord. Your quite popular back home in the wizard world. I knew you looked familiar. You're frequently in newspapers, you know." Tyron indifferently said

"Oh. You saw me huh?" Ashley sadly said

"So, have you made your choice yet, wether you wanted to stay alive?" Ashley asked

"Well, yeah. I want to live. It was an accident anyway, I didn't mean for it to happen. It sure must be hard to choose for you, since you did it willingly" Tyron smiled encouragingly at her

"Oh, its okay. What I did was like on impulse, you know, I felt trapped. Like there was…" Ashley trailed off

"No other solution" They finished together. Then they both smiled

"How'd you know that?" Ashley asked

"Well, I was having some problems of my own and I felt that way too. The truck hit me because I was clumsily crossing the street, I was so problematic then that I was drunk. It was partly my fault really" Tyron smirked at himself as he ran his fingers through his shaggy blonde hair, making it look sexier than ever

"Well, guess like we're both having problems" Ashley pouted

"You know, you're nothing like the interviews I've seen on the papers. You're much more fun and cool right here" Tyron confessed

"Really, well, those interviews were the real me. Emphasis on the '_were'._ The girl you see now has recently changed for the better due to…odd…circumstances" Ashley apologetically smiled

"That's good." Tyron grinned at her "You know I wouldn't blame you too. It must be tough having the world on your hands and I guess you just felt pressured

Looking at Tyron's eyes felt like something Ashley has never felt before. It was like butterflies were going wild in flight at your stomach, like things were squirming inside your arms, your knees were ready to give up because they were shaking so much and that hopeful smile seemed to be permanently plastered on your face

Ashley was in love: for real this time

"Hey, you okay? You seem flushed" Tyron worriedly asked

"_Oh my god, he saw me turn red!" _Ashley frantically thought

"Oh, I'm fine. I'm just…thinking" Ashley finally said

"Don't worry. Everything will be turn out good" Tyron gently took Ashley's hand on his own and rubbed it gently.

Ashley could feel herself turn as red as a tomato

Just as he said those words, there was a _pop!_ And in appeared their guide. Ashley, taken by surprised, gripped Tyron's hand harder but instead of taking his hand back; Tyron tightened his grip and looked at her with an its-just-fine stare

"I see you two have met" The man said

They both nodded their heads

"Do you have a decision?" The man asked, raising his eyebrows at the two

"We decided to stay" Tyron proudly said

The man looked at Ashley

"Yes, We both want to live" Ashley concluded

"Fine, then. Kids, I officially welcome you to the painstaking journey to down below. You are going to go on a travel to the many realms until you have reached the realm of awakening where you will be put to the real test. I will be your guide and I will help you throughout the journey." The man said

"Welcome to the Land of Realms" The man mysteriously concluded in a grave voice

"Now, we must go, there are lots to do. The trip to the realm of faith is long" The man ushered them to his side

"Wait, I thought you needed reasons to our answers?" Ashley curiously asked

"Well, when you were thinking about the reasons, I can read your minds. The reasons have already been given" The man explained

"So why did you let us take so long?" Tyron asked

"To let you really realize" The man chortled

"What do you say, you ready?" Tyron looked at Ashley

"Yeah, let the games begin" Ashley sighed

Suddenly, taking this journey wasn't going to be so bad after all, now that Tyron was there beside her

Ashley stood by Tyron's side as they walked near the man. Seconds later, they were sucked in a whirlpool. It felt like traveling through the floo network. When it seemed like an eternity, they landed

They were inside a big building. The ceiling was very high and the windows were draped with lavish, rich red curtains. Flowers were decorated heavenly and several golden counters were all around

"Welcome to the main building of the Realm of Choice. Before you can move on to the realm of faith, please state your name"

--

**A/N**

**Okay, you didn't really think Ashley would heal quickly, did you. She has to undergo some…things. BTW How do you like Tyron? Well, in the future you'll find Tyron is intertwined to their lives…somehow. **

**So I guess you know this story is going to be long. I'm going to make each realm a chapter so buckle up guys.**

**Thanks to the readers and reviewers. You guys are awesome.**

**REVIEWS ARE THE COOLEST THING TO HAPPEN TO WRITERS**


	21. Realm of Faith

Realm of Faith

**Jackpot **

**A/N: Okay, maybe there are some things we need to clear up here. For one, unlike other BWL stories, Harry isn't angsty, emo or even dark. He and the gang are typical teenagers who are fun and lovable people. They know how to laugh and joke around in their missions because they're just too confident. Because of what he was taught, he's supposed to be nice to the people of Hogwarts. I've gotten some comments on how Harry should hate them with a passion or just plain curse them. Sorry, he is not like that here in my story. **

--

"_I can't take it anymore! I don't deserve to live…!_

Screams of his sister filled Harry's dreams. His mind was expecting the very worst, that Ashley would fail the tests the Land of Realms were bringing to her. Even though it's been years since they have been reunited, he couldn't deny he had some…_god forbid_…brotherly feelings towards her

"Harry, wake up!" Green whispered to his crumbled up form

"Wh…what?" He groggily responded

"You've been tossing and turning all night long, you know" Bran stood beside Green and they observed him

"Yeah, we've been sensing disturbances, since our rooms are very near to yours" Green explained

Harry sat up, deciding he might as well tell them because they might be able to help him. He hugged his knees over the blanket and stared blankly into space

"I've been having the strangest dreams…" Harry croaked, not being able to speak properly

"Its because of Ashley, right?" Brian asked

"How'd you know?" Harry amazedly asked them both

"Harry, we may not all be blood brothers and sisters but we're the next closest thing. We know you" Green whispered softly

Brian sat next to Harry on the bed, their breathing becoming deep

"She's going to be fine, mate" Brian told him, patting Harry on the back

"How do you know? All my life at the manor I've had dreams about her and what's happened to her at Hogwarts. Seeing her now has made me believe those dreams were true, I mean, it would be too much of a coincidence to not be true." Harry hoarsely said

"Yes, but I can tell this wont be true. The dream you had was happening in the Realm of Awakenings, am I right?" Green asked

"Yeah, so?"

"So, the other dreams you had with Ashley were currently happening to her, it was like you had a portal to what was happening to her in the present. And for her to be in the Realm of Awakening right now is completely impossible. Judging by what we've learned, she might be making her entrance to the Realm of Faith right now, assuming she decided to live" Green explained

"But that doesn't mean…." Harry started

"We don't know what everything means right now, Harry" Brian said

--

"Name please" Said the cool robotic voice that came from a middle aged woman who appeared suddenly beside them

"Wells. Tyron Wells" Tyron told the lady.

Ashley realized this was the first time she heard Tyron say his family name. She was shaken out of her thoughts when the woman turned her ghostly pale face towards her

"Uh, yeah…Ashley Potter." Ashley told her. The woman gave a curt nod, wrote some things down in a board and stalked away from them

"She gives me the creeps" Tyron confessed

"Really? Most of the teachers at Hogwarts are like her so she's not new" Ashley joked, lightening the awkward silence that had settled between them

"Come" Their guide turned to them and beckoned them to a floating tram with lots of other passengers.

They settled themselves in the last row and looked at their surroundings. Without noticing it, the tram lurched forward and different sceneries flashed through them. It was sort of like traveling in the Hogwarts Train, you could look outside except all you could see are clouds and a few birds

"So do muggles get taken here too?" Ashley asked

"Muggles? Oh, right, you're the magic folk." The guide seemed confused at first and then a look of realization came to his face

"Yeah." Tyron said

"Everyone who is unconscious because of mental and physical reasons come her, whether magic or not." The man explained

"The woman there in the main building, how did she get hired to work there, how do you get to work here?" Ashley asked, oblivious to the whizzing birds

"The people who work here, including us guides, have decided life on earth isn't for us but we are not really ready to cross over to the other side and we have also proven worthy for the job by proving ourselves. Only a few get chosen" The man told them

"I could work here if we don't get back" Tyron joked

"Yeah, then I could replace that robotic woman" Ashley jeered, feeling much at ease

"Everyday, people get transported by this tram to the realm of faith. Fifty percent of its daily trip passengers do not even make it past the realm of faith before they give up and head straight to the realm of judgment" The man sighed

"What do you say, do you thin we'll be part of those who make it?' Tyron asked

"I will make it. I just know it. I don't want to cross over yet. Realm of Faith, bring it on!" Ashley confidently said

"You're so confident, so sure of yourself. I wish I were more like that, then I wouldn't have to be here," Tyron muttered, looking down at his feet

"Well, its good we're here. We can learn something, together" Ashley took Tyron's hand in her own and squeezed it gently before letting go of it.

"Yeah, I mean, how lucky are we that fate gave us the same guide" Tyron chuckled

"Its not a coincidence children, there is a particular reason why you are together right now"

"Maybe it's because we have the same lesson to be learned, right?" Ashley guessed, looking at the man

"Maybe yes, maybe no. It's not my position to tell you. You will know in due time" The man simply said

"Hey, the tram's slowing down" Tyron observed.

Indeed, the tram was stopping in front of what looked like a castle made of clouds. Ashley looked down and saw that they were floating upon clouds

"Come, let us step out" The man beckoned. Ashley looked down on the soft, fluffy clouds below her and showed a look of reluctance and hesitation. Tyron's face, however, showed excitement

"Oh no, I'm not stepping on some soft and fluffy clouds" Ashley concluded, her face frowning

"Oh, that's the leader's fault actually. The clouds aren't real. These aren't the actual clouds you see when you look up. We just formed it look this to make it look, well, quite ironic"

Tyron stepped out and smirked at Ashley. His smile then got mischievous. Before Ashley knew it, Tyron was jumping up and down. Ashley gave a loud squeal and then frowned at Tyron

"See Ash, it's hard as rock. C'mon, if you can face Voldemort what's a little cloud?" Tyron jeered

Ashley sighed and with her left foot out first, she stepped into the clouds. When she got down completely, she realized that it was soft but she felt that there was this hard surface beneath it

"I guess its fine" Ashley pouted as she tapped her foot.

"Children, welcome to the realm of faith"

--

The next day, Harry, Brian and Green visited Ashley. The rest of the group didn't want to because they had some training to do. Brian and Green, however, insisted on coming

Harry's breathing hitched when they hovered over Ashley's cold, rigid form. He stroked her forearm and focused his vision on her pale lips

"_Please make it through" _Harry thought as he looked at her once red cheeks which had now turned a palest pink

Just then, walking out from Pomfrey's office, Lily Potter walked slowly towards her daughter's helpless form. Her eyes, once bright green had suddenly became murky. It was like the spirit of life had been sucked out of her. She had used to walk with her nose up, confident and headstrong. Now, she had resorted into a person no one knew, with her head to her feet, muttering senseless words under her breath

Ignoring the three, she hovered over her daughter and stroked her hair, her thoughts filled with only Ashley

"Will she awaken?" She bluntly asked them

"She will. Your daughter is strong, Miss Lily" Green softly said

"I'm not losing another child." She said, her eyes to her daughter

"You wont lose anyone. There is a way we can help her get back" Harry said, compassion suddenly full for his mother

"I've already lost my son. I'm not letting Ashley go. The pain would be doubled. Even though it seemed I never paid much attention to my son, a mother's pain over a lost child is…immense" Lily mumbled to them

Brian looked at Harry, silently asking him what to say. Harry gave him a look that said, "be quiet"

"I want to thank you, young man, for saving my daughter from death." Lily silently said

"All in a day's work" Harry softly muttered

"No, it is a big deal you saved her. I want you three to come to our house for dinner the night after tomorrow." Lily told them, looking Harry straight at the eye

"It isn't really necessary…" Brian started but Lily raised a hand to silence him

"No, it's my pleasure. There's something about you that makes me…. do and say all these things" Lily looked at Harry one last time and green eyes stared into identical green ones. Then, she hitched up her cloak and stalked out of the room

--

"Well, that was really…something" Brian said as they walked out of the hospital wing.

They weren't able to reply to Lily's invitation properly because of utter surprise. They became oblivious to the Hogwarts students milling around them, obviously trying to get their attention, because they were so preoccupied.

Suddenly, they heard voices calling over their names. It was the rest of the group, still clad in their training clothes.

"Hey guys, where were you?' Neil curiously asked

"Yeah, we missed you at training today…Especially you Argon, you're usually the one who barks at us to go to training" Helena said, her face frowning

"We went to see Ashley" Brian quietly muttered

"Oh, for God's sake, we thought it was something serious" Lachine fanned her face with her hand

"Actually, its not just that…." Green scratched her hair, unsure of what to say

"What? Whatever it is, we'll always love you" Neil jokingly said

"Lily Potter thanked us for saving Ashley. She said a mother's pain over a lost child is great, it was like she'll go crazy if Ashley dies" Brian recounted to them

"That's all?" Lachine incredulously asked,

"No. She invited us to dinner the night after the next" Harry murmured to them

"WHAT?"

--

"This is the room of redemption," The tour guide said. They were touring over the cloud castle of the realm of faith. The guide pointed to a black door marked with red crosses

They shuffled on quietly room after room until they came onto a big oak door leading to probably a vast room

"This is the most important room of all. The hall of decision. If people go through that door you see on your left, they've been rejected and cannot move on. The ones who do get to move on go through a different door" The guide said as they looked at a woman exiting the door, her face disrupted by tears

Indeed the two teenagers were very mystified over the hall. They looked at each other and their faces told of fear and anxiety, though Ashley showed more of it that Tyron

"_Do guys act really confident when they're quivering inside?" _

Ashley's hair had been raised when they passed through the chamber of guilt. When she passed there, she felt something creepy about it, from the name of the room itself, she felt shivers. To divert her attention, She kept staring at the fascinating architecture of the castle. The inside wasn't made of cloud, but of elegant marble and elegant chandeliers. The walls were adorned with portraits of outstanding members, past leaders and statues of the different gods and goddesses of mythology all from around the world

"You okay?" Tyron asked, observing her slowly paling face

"Just wondering, what my body is like on earth right now" Ashley said, thinking up the most perfect lie

"Well, I'd like to know too. But judging from all the stories, maybe we're pale and stiff back there" Tyron sluggishly said

They walked behind their guide, amidst other people who were talking about the tour and the most recent rooms

"Well, I'd still like to see for myself" Ashley said

"This next room is the room of vision. Only a few select people can enter here, this room is where we see all of what's happening on earth" The guide said.

Everyone "oohed" and "ahhed", wondering if they'd every see the inside of it. Tyron and Ashley looked at each other. Tyron seemed to be sensing what Ashley's look meant and he seemed to be up for it, even though they knew it was against the rules but rules were meant to be broken right

They gazed at each other, ther lips curving into naughty smirks. The looks said one thing and one thing only

"_JACKPOT" _

**--**

**A/N **

**Hey, sorry I took so long. School started here in my country and guess what? I'm a high school junior! Ah, the life! I made part of this up in our free periods, something we took for granted in sophomore year, but now it's used for studying. **

**Please know I have absolutely NO intention of stopping this story. Just expect for the updates to take longer than usual. Bear with me, please; my subjects are harder this year. **

**Please review, it motivates me to stay up late and make stories, even thought I know I'll get eye bags, so the updates'll be quicker. **

**I ask you to understand that I'm juggling fan fiction with other concerns, like my filmmaking project and other things**

**REVIEW!**


	22. Preparations

**Preparations**

"Why are we even going to do this?" Brian stubbornly asked as he patted his hair and rumpled it up again for about the twelfth time

"Oh, stop complaining. I for one absolutely _j'adore_ dinner parties" Greene squealed, clapping her hands together.

"But a dinner party with the Potter family will not be _that_ adorable" Neil grumbled

"Okay, what is it with guys and parties? Why is it always so difficult?" Lachine asked

"Oh come on, you know that's not the real reason" Harry said "Its my fault, I got us into this, sorry guys."

"Its not entirely your fault Harry. We'll just have to deal with this anyway" Lachine sighed in defeat

"I just find it weird when a family holds a fancy dinner party when their child is practically in a coma" Helena said, frowning

A pair of footsteps led them to look to the door, where Luciana was just entering. Each one of them stood up. Luciana's eyes narrowed and her lips turned downward. Meaning, she was displeased

"…you heard, huh?" Neil quietly asked, though he already knew the answer

"Heard? Oh no, I didn't hear it from just anyone; I heard it from the host herself. Harry, how could you be so careless?" Luciana scolded

"I was under pressure, I didn't know what to say!" Harry said

"Under pressure? Out of all the things you've been through, that's all you can come up with? _Under pressure?_" Luciana's face was turning red and smoke seemed to come out from her ears

"Look, you don't know what its like to face your real family after five years without them recognizing you. How could I have known how to react? So stop judging me because you don't know what it feels like!" Harry shouted ,then he gathered his things and walked out of the room

On the way to the staircase, he bumped into Marcia who sensed something wrong

"Argon, what's wrong?" Marcia asked as she put a motherly hand on Harry's shoulder. Harry forcefully shrugged it off and turned to her

"They're the ones with the problem" Harry pointed to the door leading to their rooms and walked quickly down the stairs, leaving Marcia to stare in bewilderment

He didn't know where he was heading, all he knew was he wanted to get away from them. He thought about how his life would be like if he hadn't been chosen by the Count back when he was twelve. He would probably have gone to Hogwarts, finished his education properly, be a normal student, and when he was in seventh year he would meet five talented people trained by a person he only knew about in the books, he would be safe, almost without a problem, he would not be thinking whether someone would kill him the next day, or remember complex spells. He would just be there in the background and his sister would save the world and they would live happily ever after…

Then he wondered…would he fulfill himself with that life?

Unknowingly, he was walking toward the benches on the lakeside. Even though it was cold, he didn't mind sitting in the cool marble. He stared at the ink-black lake and looked at his reflection. He held out his wrist and saw the brilliant silver stallion etched in there. He looked at his scar, and thought about it more. Did he want to be Harry Potter, brother to Ashley, survivor of Voldemort's attack and sidelined in the family? Or was his decision to be Argon, Count Lodes' protégé, successful in many missions and keeper of a secret life, the best for him?

He stared intently into the black waters when he felt a warm hand on his shoulder. He looked and saw Countess Marcia's refection flickering in the ripples.

Marcia removed her pink shawl and set it down in the seat next to Harry. Only then did she sit down herself

"If you're here to lecture me, I don't want to hear it," Harry stubbornly said

"I'm not here to scold you, Harry. I just wanted to talk" Marcia smiled

"How did you know I was here?" Harry asked

"Talents. Enough about that, Green told me we've been invited to a party" Marcia said

"Great" Harry muttered

"I must say, I'm looking forward to it, I haven't been in one since the count banned all visitors from the manor. Its been pretty dire these past few years" Marcia admitted, slightly amazed at how she just realized that

"Banned?" Harry asked

"That's not my story to tell. I have another story, though, that might interest you" Marcia said

"What is that?"

"Before I tell you, I want to ask, what were you doing before I arrived?"

"I was contemplating on whether I made the right choice five years ago" Harry confessed. Marcia didn't seem to be mad

"Oh, I see. Is this the first time you've thought about this?" Marcia asked

"Yes. Something triggered me, I don't know"

"What is it that you feel? That the silver stallion gracing your wrist right now is not the right thing for you?" Marcia asked

"Its more than that… its complicated" Harry said

"Ah, complication. The amazing thing about that word is that when you ask what it means, the answer will be complicated" Marcia laughed

"So, what was that story you wanted to tell me?" Harry asked

"Well, it's about a girl, not unlike yourself. She was one of the count's very first students, back when the count was very young, of course. She was headstrong, stubborn, strong-willed, beautiful and smart" Marcia started

"The count always knew there was something different and distinct about her, I don't know. Anyways, after her training, she decided to tour the whole world for a year. While traveling, she met up with her biological brother, who recognized her at once, and she was told that their mother had died, because their father kept beating her up. That's the reason she went away when she was twelve, he father's beatings became unbearable, she had an everlasting scar on her cheek, and the count's proposition seemed heaven "

"In the manor, she tried to change her appearance. She changed almost all of it, except the damned scar which would never budge, anyway, her mother died"

"Needless to say, she cried endlessly. To top that, her very best friend, fellow protégé, had died too, because of an accident. Deciding that she couldn't bear the pain, she tried to commit suicide" Marcia said

"Harry, before I continue, do you remember what Luciana told you about the Count going up to the Realms?"

"Yes, of course. The girl goes to the realms, right?" Harry said

"Yes. It was that very same girl who the Count went up there to help. The count knew that another death of a protégé would devastate him, so he poured himself into research and was finally able to make it to the Realms, where he helped her get through all of them. She made it back alive and happy"

"Is she still alive? I mean, where is she now?" Harry asked. He looked at Marcia intently. Her beautiful eyes, a face that hasn't been touched by wrinkles, and a perfect mouth. Her face was perfection, all except for a scar on her cheek

Harry gasped, knowing the answer to his own question

"I haven't changed that much, you know" Marcia smiled at the look on Harry's face

"You…you're the girl!" Harry exclaimed

"Sometimes, Harry, I think to myself too, whether I deserved to be accompanied and guided throughout the realms. For now I better go, I've lived for years yet I still shiver in the cold" Marcia stood up and started to walk towards the castle

Harry smiled as the giant squid came bobbing his head out of the surface and sprinkled him with some water

"Hey Argon" He heard a voice behind him and saw the six people in the water

"What do you want?" The smile instantly disappeared, replaced by a frown

"Look, Harry, I'm sorry I'd been so harsh, you know me, protecting your identity is my priority, it always has been, though now, I guess you're old and smart enough to protect it yourself" Luciana said

"Harry, you've been with us for years, you've led us through every time. So if you want to go to that party, we'll go with you" Brian said

"Even If it means dressing up like monkeys" Neil said

"Yeah, we'll even try to be polite to the Potters, if that's what you want." Lachine continued

"And we'll make it a dinner party you'll never forget" Helena finished

"Thanks guys, but its your decision. I wont force you" Harry said

"Don't be silly, we wont let you go into uncharted territory without backup, dumdum" Green smiled

"Thanks, so much" Harry grinned

"Group Hug!!!"

All of them hugged each other, warm against the cold. Unbeknownst to them, the count had been watching through a window

"Spying Again, I see" Marcia said as she stepped into the room

"Old habits die hard" The count chuckled

"So you've been watching them…they've grown up" Marcia said

"Yes, and sooner or later, we'll have to let them go…" The count sadly said

"Let's not think about that now." Marcia said "We should be happy that their bond is stronger"

"They never change" He smiled

"Lets hope they never do" Marcia smiled as she hugged him.

--The Realms--

The two teenagers looked at the door, as if it had all the answers to their questions. They were trying to piece together how they would go in, and by the looks of it, they had zero solutions

"Okay, we can't just barge in like that, we don't even know what's inside" Ashley whispered

"I don't know, maybe something like muggle television screens or something." Tyron shrugged

"Lets do some research on that room first, check things out, before we go in, I'm sure there's a library around here somewhere" Ashley suggested

"You're right, come on, we're missing the grand tour" Tyron held Ashley's hand as they reunited with their 'tour group'

"Last but not the least, your rooms, they have been equipped with your every need. Wake up calls are at 7:45 and lights out is at 11:20." The tour guide said

They were looking at a hallway filled with doors. The next thing they knew, the guide was giving them keys

"I'm in room seven, how about you?" Tyron asked

"Room six, hey, our rooms are beside each other, imagine the luck" Ashley smiled

"Yeah, its luck alright" Tyron said

"The rooms are adjacent to each other so you will be able to help each other. No shenanigans are tolerated. Now, you may go into your rooms and freshen up" The guide said

"I hope what they do to people who get into trouble?" Tyron curiously asked

"I don't know…it must be bad, though" Ashley said

"…so remember, no shenanigans" Tyron joked

"I hope you do remember that" Ashley smiled as she opened the door and let herself in

"WOW!"

--

**A/N**

**Okay, I would like to make three points in this message today**

**-Sorry for the long wait. I warned you already. I think my next update will be next year. January-February for sure. Anyway, this story will NOT BE ABANDONED, even if I'm going to be tragically injured, I will finish this**

**-I made a cliffie! Yippie! I'll try to answer your questions and reviews as soon as possible, so you wont get confused with the story**

**KEEP ON ROCKING!**

**Hope you all keep tuned in to my story, no matter how annoyingly long I take to update**

**Kisskiss, mwah!**

**-lavix . . . **


	23. Bad turned worse:the dinner party part 1

**Bad turned Worse: The dinner party part 1**

--

"Neil, stop fidgeting" Helena said, frowning at her reflection

"I'll fidget all I want" Neil stubbornly said, frowning

"It's making me nervous…and this isn't even a real mission!" The girl fired back

"C'mon guys, its not like we've never faced anything tougher than this" Harry sighed, feeling a bit nervous himself

"You seem to be taking this lightly," Green said, narrowing her eyes

"I'm not, I just know how to mask my emotions..." Harry smirked

"Since when have you kept anything from us?" Brian asked, slightly appalled

"Oh come on…this isn't like that!" Harry said, laughing

"Then what is it like?" Lachine asked seriously

"AAAHH! Not listening!" Harry cried out, running in circles. Everyone laughed

The boys were wearing coats-and-ties, the ties being the color of their animal guides. The girls, however, wore different styles of dresses. Green wore a knee-length orange bubble dress, for Helena, the little black dress every girl was supposed to have, paired with purple leggings/tights and Lachine wore a skin tight spaghetti strap brown dress.

Suddenly, two people burst into their room. It was Ron, wearing a formal set of dress robes, and Hermione, who put on a floral blue sundress.

"You guys ready?" Hermione asked, her breathing hard.

"You're coming too?" Neil asked, rolling his eyes

"Yeah, we are, Lily invited us too. My sister Ginny's also tagging along, she's outside" Ron said, rumpling his hair

"This just keeps getting better and better" Brian inaudibly hissed

"We're almost ready, let me just check my reflection" Helena said, facing a mirror

"Oh, don't break the mirror Yale, I heard Hogwarts mirrors are expensive" Brian joked

"Shut up, look who's talking!" Helena grinned

"Let's just get this dinner over with" Harry rolled his eyes and everyone trooped outside, Harry being the last

When Harry got outside the room, he came face to face with a beautiful redhead wearing a crisp white mini dress with a matching shawl. Immediately he was taken aback, he didn't know why.

"Hi" Was all Harry could stutter out

"Hello. I'm Ginny" The girl smiled, showing off her dimples

"Nice to meet you. I'm Ha—Argon" Harry said, his face turning red

Meanwhile, the group was watching this with mild interest.

"The impossible has happened, I guess what they really say is true, anything can happen in Hogwarts" Brian snickered. Everyone tried to stifle their laughs, and they were all thinking the same thing. Ron turned to Harry, whose green eyes were sparkling and he frowned at the scene

"Come on, everyone, the carriage is waiting outside" Hermione said, turning everyone's attention to her, thankfully including Ron

"Come on, Ginny." Ron held Ginny's hand protectively, as if telling Harry to back off. Harry shrugged and let them pass

"Ron, you're such an idiot" Ginny mumbled, angry. The three walked in front of them, enough so they couldn't hear their conversations

"Looks like little Argy scored!" Helena grinned

"Argy? You haven't called me that in ages! Who came up with that, anyway?" Harry asked

"I think it was Strum. The old bloke's getting so old now that he wanted to mix Harry and Argon to save time" Green said, remembering that time fondly

_Flashback_

"_Okay children, can anyone tell me why the eyes of newts have to be kept moisturized every fifteen hours?" Strum asked, fiddling with his beard_

_The whole room fell silent. Neil resorted to scanning the books, all the while biting his nails, Green began shaking her head, trying to remember and Brian, well, Brian couldn't care less. _

"_I know the answer!" Lachine screamed. She got so excited that one of her shurikens slipped out of her robe sleeve and began flying through the air and finally carved itself onto the wall. The whole scenario threw the class into laughter_

"_Not funny!" Strum snidely said, moving to the left since he was almost hit by the shuriken_

"_I think I know why…"Harry timidly said. Strum tiredly looked at him, as if expecting something to blow up. When nothing happened, he struggled over his words_

"_Alright Harr—I mean—Arr---Argy! Yes, Argy! What do you think?" Strum asked, looking pleased with himself. Harry turned crimson. For a few seconds, there was whispering behind him and then suddenly…_

"_WE LOVE YOU ARGY!" The whole class screamed_

_End Flashback_

"Can we please just try to forget that stupid incident? We have another stupid incident coming up." Harry whined

"Whatever you say, Argy…" Brian snorted. Harry rolled his eyes

They reached the front doors and stepped outside. Immediately they wrapped their arms closer to themselves, trying to fend off the wintry air. After a few moments, a carriage drew up in front of them. They all shuffled quickly inside

"Why cant we just travel from Hogwarts?" Harry asked

"Well, we'll be using a bigger fireplace, and besides, it would take hours to connect Hogwarts into the mainstream floo network, Hogwarts is too…protected" Hermione explained

"Wait…a fireplace? I'm sorry, but I don't want to get ash all over my dress when we arrive at Potter manor." Lachine haughtily said

"Oh, don't worry. Their house elves will take care of us once we get there" Ron comfortingly said

"But still, we would appear dirty in first sight!" Green grumbled

"Don't worry, I think I have a protection charm for that…oh yes, I do. Don't worry, no one's gonna be dirty in Potter Manor" Helena smirked, flipping her hair

After minutes of awkward silence in the carriage, they spotted streetlights not very far from them. They breathed a sigh of relief; they were almost at the end of their journey.

An invisible hand opened the door and they all wordlessly got out. Keeping themselves as warm as they could, the team let Ron and Hermione lead them to a pub. After seconds of walking, they sighed when they encountered the warmth of indoors.

"We're going to Potter manor. You must be expecting us," Hermione said in a businesslike manner. The barkeeper wiped his hands on his dirty apron and hastily put down his filthy rag

"Oh yes, the Potter bunch. Kind of unusual having a party whilst the Ashley Potter isn't well…" The barkeeper muttered, leading them to a very big fireplace. There was an awkward silence, as nobody knew how to respond

"That, sir, I believe, is none of your business. Please let us get on our way and you can return to the wonderful job you're doing." Brian pleasantly said. The barkeeper frowned but said nothing. He wordlessly shook his head and thrust a pot of floo powder into Brian's chest, causing some powder to spray on his suit

Brian smirked. The barkeeper must have thought he had the last word. Making sure he was looking, Brian slowly made the dirt disappear. The barkeeper gasped

"We better get going. Thank you, sir." Lachine sternly said, sensing trouble. She motioned for Helena to put on the charm and in a second, they were surrounded by a white halo.

Since the fireplace was very spacious, they could all travel at once. Harry took a fistful of floo powder and said 'Potter Manor' clearly and audibly

The seconds that followed were nauseating and tiring. It was like being sucked into a never-ending black hole. After a few trips and turns, they landed on the ashy floor

Slowly, they stood up. Helena's charm had done wonders. Not a spot of ash had gotten to their clothes. They wordlessly shuffled out of the big Potter fireplace one by one.

"Ah! The guests of honor!" James Potter shouted, raising a glass of wine while about fifty people were milling around in their best clothes, sipping wine and eating finger foods.

_They did not expect this_.

--

There was nothing inside

Tyron's eyes grew wide, as if all of this was a joke. Ashley was on the verge of laughter.

"This is a joke, right?" Tyron asked, opening the door that separated their rooms

"I'm sure something's bound to happen soon…" Ashley replied. As if summoned, a four-poster bed, a shelf and some other furniture appeared inside her room. Ashley couldn't help but notice that there was something strange

"Oh my god! This is my room!" Ashley gasped, hardly daring to believe it

"Wow, this is some magic, huh?" Tyron said, eyeing the room. The walls have been colored scarlet; there was a golden carpet on the floor and some pictures on the table

"Quick, check yours! Check yours!" Ashley screamed, pushing him into his room

Ashley's eyes widened as she saw Tyron's room. Almost everything was colored blue, from the walls to the bed. She slowly made her way around the room. She stopped as she saw a moving photograph

It was a picture of a beautiful girl with short, pixie cut brown hair and blue eyes. She had her arms around Tyron and was waving to the camera.

"You're girlfriend?" Ashley teased, but all the while feeling a lump in her stomach.

"Yes…sort of" Tyron bitterly said

"You broke up?" Ashley asked

Tyron breathed heavily, took the picture in his hands and smashed it up against the wall, startling Ashley

"Its her fault I'm here!" Tyron gravely said. Looking at the shards of glass and wood, they fell silent. Suddenly, the picture started forming itself back again. Tyron made a motion to lunge at it again but Ashley stopped him

"It no use. This isn't our world. Look, you wanna talk about it?" Ashley kindly asked

"Why should I? She's not a pleasant topic!" Tyron snarled. Ashley recoiled

"It'll help, I swear. Lets start with her name, and we'll see how it goes from there" Ashley soothed, sitting down on the bed and motioning him to do the same

"Her name's Mace, we've been going out for three years. I've always loved her, but I guess it was not returned" Tyron emotionlessly said.

"Why would you say that?" Ashley softly said

"Remember when I told you back when we first met that I was here because of reckless street crossing?" Tyron asked. Ashley nodded, wondering where all of this was leading to.

"I was driving in to the restaurant we were supposed to meet in. I wasn't supposed to be there for about twenty minutes, but I wanted to set things up for her. Anyways, I was carrying a bouquet of roses and a box of chocolates and all. But the day wasn't what I thought it would turn out…" Tyron explained, his breathing heavy

"How?" Ashley asked

"I found her in another guy's car in front of the restaurant. To make the long story short, I saw her sucking another guy's face. I couldn't believe it! I went down and threw the gifts on the car's windshield. I didn't see her face and all I could remember was grabbing a can of strong beer and driving. It was raining, so I couldn't see well. Giving up, I got off the car and made my way across the street. I was so drunk that I couldn't remember when the truck hit me." Tyron said, tears falling down his eyes

"You still love her, huh?" Ashley stated, her eyes saddening.

"We went out for three years. I thought she was _the one._" Tyron said. Ashley wanted to laugh at the cheesiness of the expression but felt it inappropriate

"Look, any girl who does that doesn't deserve you. Look around, and I don't mean that literally. There are lots of other girls around. Girls who would be lucky to be with you. Mace made a mistake, but it wasn't entirely her fault. You shouldn't have gotten yourself drunk…" Ashley said, her hands rubbing Tyron's back

"I know that. I shouldn't have let her get the better of me." Tyron sighed, his face saddening

"That's right. Then you wouldn't have gotten yourself here…" Ashley softly said

"But then I wouldn't have met you…" Tyron silently said

They didn't notice that they were so close to each other. Ashley could see the big teardrops staining his cheeks. Tyron rested his hands on her cheeks and Ashley moved closer. They were so close to making contact; they felt their faces move towards each other

_**BRRRRIIIIIINNNNNGGGGG!!!!! Lights out! **_

Ashley jumped up, surprised at the turn of events. She looked at Tyron who was looking at her intently. She bit her lip, unsure of what to do

"I should go… This was…this has been…good night…" Ashley stuttered, quickly leaving Tyron's room

"_Oh my god!" _

--

"To the guests of honor!" Instantly, all the people in the room raised their glasses. Harry felt his blood rising up, so it was all just a setup

"I thought this was going to be a more private party, Mr. Potter." Harry said through gritted teeth

"Boy, when you live in this world, this is as close to private as you get…" James sneered

"Who are these people?" Harry angrily asked. The rest of the group shifted awkwardly

James steered Harry to a group of people picking devilled eggs off of a waiter's plate. Harry forced himself to smile

"Argon, I want to introduce you to Agatha Marcus, the head of the Unspeakables. Agatha, this is Argon, one of Lodes' _children_." James said, patting Harry's shoulder

Harry's mind was about to explode. _Children_? How dare he!

"Pleasure to meet you ma'am…" Harry politely said, shaking Agatha's hand.

"Ahh, I see what you mean, James. His eyes tell a story of mysteries. We, unspeakables are good at telling eye language" Agatha proudly said

"Like hell you are." Harry murmured

"Excuse me?" Agatha asked

"I said I would like some water, please." Harry grinned. James waved his hand and a house elf came bustling in with a glass full of water

"Thank you…" Harry said. He looked around. His friends were already talking to some people.

Suddenly, Harry understood. These people weren't just ordinary wizard socialites. They were people who worked with the Ministry. James had administered this party so that these people could get inside of him to see his past.

Harry smirked, wishing that James could have been smarter. Lily was a very good actress too. He began chuckling to himself, thinking them both to be incredibly stupid

"Hey mate!" It was Neil, and he appeared to be having a blast

"What's up with you?" Harry monotonously asked

"I met with so many powerful people. I mean, someone from the ministry even offered me a job once I'm done with my education!" Neil jovially said

"I can only guess what department." Harry dryly said

"No, really, guess!" Neil urged

"It's either the Auror office of the Department of Mysteries…" Harry said, smiling

"How'd you know?" Neil confusedly asked

"You still haven't figured it out, haven't you?" Harry asked, amazed at his friend's density at the moment

"What?" Neil distractedly asked

"You know that James Potter has always wanted to know who we really are. He set us up. These people, it's like in their power to dig up dirt about us, and judging from your face, you might have just told them your whole life's story." Harry dryly said, staring intently at Neil

"Wow, I never thought…but…you're right…It's too much of a coincidence, even if James and Lily did work at those departments…" Neil sighed, exasperated

"I never thought they could be so…desperate. I mean, why do they want to know about us? We practically are a myth…" Harry said, slumping against the wall

"I don't know….What now?" Neil asked

"Wanna go see my room?" Harry mischievously said.

Neil and Harry sneaked out of the party successfully. Even though years had passes, it seemed Harry knew Potter manor like the back of his hand. They reached the wing where Harry's room was located after climbing up a large staircase.

As they made their way through the luxurious hallways, a houself passed them, carrying white sheets. Neil accidentally bumped her and allthe sheets fell down.

"I is sorry, sirs…I is sorry!" The houself whimpered. Harry put a comforting hand on its head

"It's alright. We shouldn't be here anyways." Harry sighed

"I will not be telling missus Potter if you is promising not to mention Winnie's mistake…" The houself sobbed

"Oh sure, sure!" The houself looked at Harry for the first time. For a moment, he was shocked. She searched Harry's face, as if it offered an explanation.

"Is there something wrong?" Neil asked

"No, no, I is sorry sirs… I is sorry!" The houself said, getting out of their way quickly.

As quickly as they could, Harry and Neil made their way to Harry's old bedroom. Harry grinned at Neil before touching the knob

"Well…" Neil impatiently said

"Nothing, I'm just surprised they didn't bother to demolish it" Harry grinned

Harry slowly opened the creaking door, oblivious to its creepy sound of aging. Harry took a deep breath and opened his eyes

"_Oh my god!" _

--

**AN**

**Hey guys, sorry for the long wait. I'm not really good at promises, aren't i? Anyway, my laptop broke down and I had to get it fixed. Unfortunately, an apple store hadn't opened yet at our local mall so I had to give it to my dad so he could get it fixed while he was on a business trip**

**Guys, I am NOT abandoning this story. I'm just very busy. School just started and guess what, I'm a SENIOR!" Last year of high school so I'm gonna be busy. I'm also a student leader, so those wonts help in updates. **

**Okay guys, thanks to all of you who still have faith in me. Don't flame this story please. There's a difference between flaming and constructive criticism and I hope you use the latter. Thanks for bearing with me and you know what? . . . **

**YOU ROCK!!!**

**Review, guys! **


	24. The dinner party part 2

**The Dinner Party II**

_It was a mess_

"What happened here?" Neil asked, stepping into the room. The air was thick with dust and debris was everywhere.

The room, Harry's previous room, had been ransacked. It was not the common kind of destruction, but the kind in which the destroyer appeared to have been looking for something. This was odd, considering that the Potter never touched this part of the wing and Harry's room was left intact after the investigations

Harry followed Neil, stepping into the room himself. He carefully stepped over a wooden plank, taking care not to disturb anything lest there be traps

"Books" Neil said, referring to the mess of thick books scattered around the floor. Harry turned to look, and smiled gently. These books had been his company, his refuge and his strength during the years of neglect. He carefully stepped over to where Neil was standing and picked up a green, battered old book. He brushed some of the dust off it and stared at the book, mesmerized

_Flashback_

"_No dinner for you, young man! How dare you upset your sister…AGAIN! Go to your room!" _

_A young boy sighed, rolling his eyes at an attempt to not care. Those words hurt, but he had learned to live with them anyway. With another roll of his eyes, he proceeded to the magnificent Potter library, where the soft cushioned chairs would offer him comfort, where the fire would give him warmth inside, and where the book would take him on endless adventures_

_Harry, the young boy, had been in his family's library millions of times, yet he hadn't read every single book for there was too many of them. Deciding he wanted to try something new, he went to the left wing of the library, where the more complex books were shelved. Not really thinking at all, he carefully pulled out a green book ripe with age. It looked like it hadn't been opened for years, and if Harry hadn't had a watchful eye; he wouldn't have seen it for it was very hidden_

_**Fact or Myth: Who is Count Lodes?**_

_**Written by Gerard Forestbolt **_

_Intrigued, Harry grabbed the book and set out for one of the couches. He smiled, seeing a cup of hot chocolate on the coffee table nearby, probably brought to him by one of the more kinder house elves. Making a mental note to thank them later, Harry sat down and opened the book with an eager smile_

_Little did he know that that book would change the course of his life._

_End Flashback_

"What's that?" Neil asked. Harry grinned and tossed him the book. Neil caught it and looked at the book

"It's the first book I read about the count" Harry said, smiling sadly

"Gerard Forestbolt…I think I know that man…. I've heard of him…his name sounds so familiar," Neil said, thinking hard

"There's no publish date…" Harry mumbled

"But whoever he is, why would he write a book about the count? Are…were they friends?" Neil asked himself. Harry sighed, kicking some of the books on the floor

"If you read the book, it starts with a journal…here…." Harry said, flipping the book's old tattered pages

_September_

_My hear starts pumping as I realize I am no longer in my home. Looking around I see other children, around my age and all looked to be depressed. I look at one window, and see a vast expanse of land, stretching out for miles and miles. I was not at my house. Suddenly I see a man entering, and he introduces himself, but my ears are shut, I keep looking at him_

_Yes, that must be him, who else could it be? I see his eyes, they hold the epitome of knowledge, I see his mouth, curled up into a friendly smile, and I see his hands, who may have taken many lives, but looked very welcoming_

_That must be Count Lodes_

…_._

"He was a student…." Neil said " I wonder if the count…." Neil started. Harry stopped him

"Never asked him, I was too afraid" Harry shrugged

"But why would he write something like this?" Neil asked, utterly confused

"My guess is as good as yours. Come on, let's get back to the party, the others might be worried" Harry said, ushering Neil outside. He sighed, reluctantly following. Making sure everything was the way it was before they went in, Neil closed the door, unaware that Harry had brought out a little souvenir.

….

Once they got back to the party, they found a disaster. Helena was lying on a couch, passed out. Green and Lachine were somewhere, nowhere to be seen. Brian was sluggishly trying to keep his feet, and failing. The guests were paying them no mind, some were dancing to the loud music, and some were still eating

"Whoa. Easy…" Neil said, getting a hold of Brian. Harry, getting angrier by the minute, grabbed the glass of wine from Brian's hand. He raised it to eye level, and something caught his eye. Biting his lip, he stuck a finger into the red liquid and brought his finger to his mouth. Upon contact, he spat it out

"This wine was spiked with strong Veritaserum. Neil, take a look, you're the expert…" Harry disgustingly said, handing Neil the glass. Neil took a small taste and let the liquid roam around his mouth.

"Not just Veritaserum, Harry. Veritaserum and another drug…I can't tell what it is." Neil said, deep in thought and concern. After tasting the wine thoroughly, his head snapped as he came to a realization

"I'm going to kill them," Neil menacingly said, letting go of the glass. It shattered into a million pieces on the floor. Neil took out his wand and almost lunged forward, but Harry stopped him

"What's in the wine?" Harry asked, mustering his energy to stop Neil from killing the Potters

"I thought the ingredients were made extinct by the Wizard Council of 1907, for it was used in Death Penalty…" Neil said, keeping his breath

"What do you mean death penalty?" Harry asked, his eyes narrowing

"I don't mean they're dead…the main killing ingredient has been lost over time. It's other ingredients make the drinker drowsy and absolutely vulnerable" Neil said, trying to keep his breath steady

"Vulnerable?" Harry asked, stupefied

"Who knows what they could have divulged?" Neil whispered, shaking his head

"Let him drink this…" Neil said, handing Harry a small vial filled with purple liquid. Without doubt and hesitation, Harry poured the liquid down Brian's throat. Upon contact, he began coughing

"Aerobe…wake up…" Harry softly said, shaking Brian's figure. Brian shook his head, attempting to stand up. Once he was up on his feet, he looked around to see what was happening

"Are you okay? What did they do to you?" Neil asked

"All I remember were these ministry people cornering me and some house-elf pushing a glass of wine to me. The rest is all black…" Brian said, massaging his forehead

"Do you remember saying anything? Anything at all?" Harry asked

Brian shook his head, thinking. A few seconds passed and realization dawned upon his face. He looked at Harry, with a fearful hint in his eyes

"Mate, I'm so sorry…" Brian said

"What did you say?" Harry asked, a hint of malice in his voice

"I kept saying Harry was right about three times…" Brian said, breathing deeply

"Was that all?" Neil asked, his voice shaking

"Yes…positive…" Brian said, looking sincerely at Harry

"How about the girls?" Harry asked, looking at Helena's crumpled form

"The other two left to look for you after making sure that Helena was safely unconscious and had drunk an antidote. They realized that the wine was spiked, but Helena had a drink." Brian said. At his word, Lachine and Green appeared before them, their hair disheveled and their dresses crumpled

"Harry we've got to get out of here. This was a setup, you were right. I thought that if we knew that we would be more careful. But they outsmarted us. Poor Helena there had too much of the drink" Green said, pointing to Helena

"Alright, we'll discuss this later. Neil, grab Helena and please be gentle, we don't want to shake the balance of her internal systems more. Green, Brian, find a way to get out of here and Lachine, you're coming with me." At Harry's word, everyone sprang into action. Harry grabbed Lachine's hand and they fast-walked across the ballroom.

"Keep your eyes peeled for the Potters. We need to find Hermione, Ron and his sister fast without alerting suspicion." Harry said. Lachine nodded and parted ways with Harry

A little bit later, the crowds were still there, dancing merrily. Harry spotter a glint of red hair and sped up to it, knowing only three people in this room had hair as red as that

"Ginny…" Harry said

"Oh! Hello!" Ginny said, turning red

"Look, where's your brother? We need to go now." Harry said, craning his neck

"Why? Aren't you enjoying the party?" Ginny asked. Harry groaned inwardly

"Look, let's just say one of our friends is getting sick because she had too much to drink. Now, where are Ron and Hermione?" Harry asked, getting impatient

"Here they are! I caught them slow dancing…" Lachine smirked, holding Ron and Hermione by their wrists. Ginny turned even redder

"What are you doing with my sister?" Ron angrily asked, releasing his wrist from Lachine's grip. Harry laughed

"Relax Ronald. I was asking her where you were, but since I already know, I see no further reason for our interaction…" Harry said, smirking. Ron looked away.

"I told the others to meet us in Hogsmeade, we can apparate there and I already messaged Luciana to pick us up there…" Lachine said

"Good work. Let's go…" Harry said. The others followed him as they snuck out undetected from the ballroom and out from the lobby into the cold night air. Harry had picked up his pace and started running, and the others had no choice but to run too.

"Aaah!" Everybody stopped. Ginny was holding her ankle and she appeared to have broken it

"Oh God! This could not be happening! Argon could you fix it?" Lachine worriedly asked

"Not here, I can't. I'm not Neil or Helena for heaven's sake. And if I'm correct, we have to apparate now…" Harry said, thinking of another alternative

"Yes, we have to apparate now!" Lachine said, her tone getting loud

"What about my sister?" Ron indignantly asked, stomping his foot down

"Just…just…carry her then! We need to go!" Lachine said, paranoia getting to her

"I'm gonna laugh about this in five years…" Harry muttered to himself. With one sweep of his arms, he held a very red Ginny in his arms and they refused to look at each other

"Let's go!" Lachine grabbed Ron and Hermione's hands and disappeared with a loud crack

"You gonna be okay?" Harry asked, "I've never done side-along apparition this way before…"

"I'll be fine…just get me to Hogwarts…" Ginny said. Harry took a deep breath and apparated. A few seconds later, he dropped into Hogsmeade, trying to keep his balance with Ginny in his hands

"Argon!" The voice of the count was heard. He slowly took Ginny from Harry's arms and Harry breathed out a sigh of relief

"Where are the others?" Harry asked, his breath going out

"Safe…back at Hogwarts. Get in the carriage now…" Luciana said. She conjured up a red handkerchief and wrapped it around Ginny's broken ankle.

Harry wordlessly got into the carriage. He looked around and saw Lachine wrapped in a brown blanket, shivering. He saw Ron and Hermione looking uncomfortable and very tired and Ginny was falling asleep, her head leaned on the window.

Minutes later they were dropped off at Hogwarts' main entrance. The foyer was empty and silent, as the students had already gone to sleep hours ago. Marcia was standing there, holding a cloak tightly around her. As soon as the disembarked, Marcia grabbed them all for a warm embrace

"Count Lodes I…" Harry said, looking at the Count who was discussing something with Marcia and Luciana

"I know you want to talk now, Argon, but get some sleep first. I'll attend to Ginny's ankle myself and we'll all discuss what happened tomorrow," Marcia said, putting a hand on Ginny's back and leading her to the hospital wing. Harry looked at the count.

"Tomorrow, Argon." The count sternly said. Harry sighed, making his way upstairs with Lachine behind him

_Tomorrow then_

--

"_Where is Ashley Potter now, Nagini?" The drawling voice asked_

"_In the land of the realms, my lord. Apparently she's attempting a voyage back to humankind…" The snake Nagini said "And it appears she has made a special friend"_

"_Friend? Well, best we stir up her world there then…" The dark lord manically said_

"_You mean go to the land of the realms?" Nagini asked "How?"_

--

**OKAY!!! I finally updated…yay me! I know this isn't my best chapter, but I felt guilty after letting you guys wait for so long that I threw in all I had in this chapter. I hope you like it and if you feel disappointed, I'm very sorry. I'll do better next chapter…promise**

**Please review, I want to know what you think. Should I improve my writing, my grammar, my update time span…. whatever you want! No flames please, just well rounded criticism**

**Best of the best…until then!**

**-VIX**


	25. Fixing ThingsOr not

**Fixing Things**

"_It was all just a dream. A dream. . I never went to Hogwarts, when I open my eyes I'll be in the Count's Manor…my alarm will be ringing soon…" _

A knock came, which made Harry, open his eyes. He hadn't slept this soundly since long ago. It was refreshing, and it was dreamless. It made him forget there were problems, but he had to get back to reality

"Ha-Argon, meeting's in ten minutes…we need to debrief…" Brian said, his mind obviously still half-asleep even though he was already dressed

"Debrief? We only do debriefing on missions…" Harry softly said, willing his body to go back to sleep

"More or less. But I think the situation qualifies" Brian said. "Come on, get up…you look like a mess"

"What time is it?" Harry asked. It seemed like it was still five or something. He wanted to get back to sleep.

"Its nine" Harry abruptly sat up, which made Brian laugh "Don't worry. The count understands we had a rough night."

Harry smirked and started his way towards the bathroom. Brian left, _presumably to look for a mirror_, Harry dryly thought. After taking a quick shower, he put on a black shirt and a pair of black pants and made his way towards their common room

When he got there, everyone was quiet. The girls were trying to slide in a little more sleep. The boys were just silent, but he caught Neil wistfully looking at the way to his bedroom

"Haven't seen you girls with eye bags in years…" Harry muttered. Helena looked up and smiled groggily

"Whether we're skilled witches or normal teenage girls, a party's a party for every girl" Helena said with a roll of her eyes. They all laughed.

"Plus we were too tired to put some concealing charms. Brian woke us up so, so gently." Lachine sarcastically said and was met with even more laughs.

"How long has it since we've been this way? Lately it's been missions, missions and missions. We barely had time to laugh" Brian said, ignoring Lachine's former comment

"With you every time, we've learned to laugh along the way" Neil said, stifling a yawn.

"Sure, pick on the good guy." Brian muttered under his breath. Just then, the count came in with Luciana tailing in after. Everyone then stood up to welcome the count

"For goodness sakes sit down and let's start!" The count irritably said. Everyone did as they were told

"Well, as you all know, we only do debriefing on proper missions, so let's step out of standard protocol here for a while. Understand?" The count calmly asked

"Yes" They all chimed

"For starters, WHAT THE BLOODY HELL HAPPENED WITH ALL OF YOU? HAVE YOU ALL LOST YOUR BLOODY MINDS?" The count bellowed, sending shock waves through each of them

"Sir, we just…" Neil started

"I DON'T CARE IF YOU WERE OUT THERE POLE DANCING OR DOING GOD KNOWS WHAT KIND OF SHIT AS LONG AS YOU DID IT WITH YOUR HEADS IN THE RIGHT PLACES!" The count continued his rampage

No one dared to speak

"I just don't understand! What happened to all those years of training? Did you all just get giddy and excited at finally having one normal night on a normal dinner party? Well in case you all have forgotten, normal NEVER EVER applies to our situations. I had you all trained in the most skilled type of covert operations and espionage and yet you DRANK THEIR BLOODY WINE! ANYONE CARE TO EXPLAIN AS TO _WHY?_" The count shouted. There was an awkward pause and the gang saw the count's face turn red, as they had never seen before.

"None of my previous students has done anything remotely close to compromising their identities. I don't know what game you're trying to play here but bloody hell I wont stand for this!" The count said. There was an air of finality in his voice. Luciana looked at him and decided to speak

"I think we've all had enough shouting for today's…debriefing. Now each and every one of you will tell me what you did from the moment you stepped in that damn manor. I don't want to hear 'I forgot' or 'I can't recall'. You will remember each and every damn minute detail that there was, including the goddamn colors of the guests' eyes if I ask you, or so help me I will personally get those details out of your minds" Luciana said in her dangerously calm voice

The students looked at each other nervously, realization dawning at the gravity of the situation. They shuffled anxiously in their seats, as if telepathically telling each other to 'go first'.

"All right. I'll go first." Helena said, breaking the unbearable silence. Everyone looked at her in relief, and she shot them all an apologetic glance

"When we got to Potter Manor, the place was already booming with dinner party excitement…."

THISISALINELINE LINELINELINELIN ELINELINE

"Ashley! Wait!" Even the sound of the ringing bells could not mask Tyron's voice. Ashley looked up, feeling scared and confused

Absentmindedly she shut her door. Tyron's voice became a muffled sound through the walls. She could vaguely hear some old woman say "Young man, keep your voice down" until she could hear nothing coming from the other room

"It's very unfair, isn't it Miss Potter? To be able to find some love and then to be forced to stay away from them because you know you'd only be hurting them if they stayed with you. That's why I choose to stay away from love. You should do the same thing." A drawling voice was heard ad suddenly; Ashley came face to face with a big, sharp-faced snake

"You…you…you're a snake." She uttered, keeping her voice low

"It appears to be so. If not I've been walking the wrong way all my life" The snake drawled on

"Don't play with me, snake. I know only one…person…who has a talking snake…Voldemort sent you didn't he? How did you find me?" Ashley said, her voice beginning to shake

"Don't judge me by my nature girl. You have me confused with my brother, Nagini, he is called now, eh?"

Their stories did not vary from one another, and every recollection seemed to match up and coincide with the others. Hearing enough, the count decided to speak

"What concerns me the most is why Mr. Potter and Mr. Marcus decided to go play 'adventure' and leave everyone else? Who gave you clearance to do that? Did anyone see you? If the Potters knew that you had gone somewhere they'll start asking why, and where you went." The count said. He had calmed down but his voice still sounded angry

"…Harry wanted to show me his room, sir" Neil said. In an instant, he regretted it

"HOW GODDAMN OLD ARE YOU? TWELVE? Boys, that was dangerous and _stupid_ of you. I expected this least from the you two. Did anyone see you?" The count asked, his anger rising again

"Well sir, there was this…erm…house elf… but we struck up a deal with him" Harry slowly said

"You struck up a deal with a houself? What's next, a bargain with a leprechaun? Boys you put our whole situation in jeopardy. I'm sorry I blew my top but we have to be more careful. Voldemort is not like any other villain you face on your everyday missions. He is… not a human…anymore…he has powers beyond your imagination. So please. Exercise constant vigilance" The count said, calming down

"Yes sir" They all chimed

"All right. You can all go to class now. Luciana, I believe the children stopped their lessons on the wizarding history of Sri Lanka? Now go. I arranged for your classrooms to look exactly like the ones at home. It's on the third floor. You can't miss it." The count said

"Oh, Lady Marcia wanted to finish up on Sri Lanka. She's already in the classroom waiting with the two Hogwarts heads. They'll be joining you." Luciana looked at the teens pointedly

"Oh joy" Brian muttered under his breath. Helena shot him a look of death

The group made their way outside and saw that second period classes had just ended and witches and wizards were crowding the corridors, which made it worse. They stood out with their colorful clothing and people kept staring at them. None of them were in any mood for cheekiness so they made their way to the third floor silently

Once they got to the room, they felt a familiar air of home. The desks were designed in their special way, a big circular mahogany table with a hole in the middle. Inside the hole was a chair, one that spun around. There usually were six of these tables but now that Ron and Hermione were here, there were eight.

The group greeted the two heads that were sitting in the very back tables, confused. Their circular table wasn't even half filled. There were just two sets of books with some parchment. It was clear that this was the first time they had sat in a classroom with tables like this.

They then proceeded wordlessly to their usual tables. Neil and Lachine up front, Harry and Green in the middle and Brian and Helena at the third row. Brian smirked at Ron and Hermione as the six started conjuring up books, bottles, cauldrons, parchment-all that filled the circular table. Ron watched in amazement as Neil spun around his chair like he was playing but really he was just making sure everything was there.

What was odd was that they chose to ignore the white dove sitting on the desk chewing on a laurel leaf. After much scuffling about the tables with their things, the six finally rested themselves and faced front. The instant the last person stopped moving, the dove changed itself into Marcia

"Good morning everyone. Let us begin our lesson on Sri Lanka. Well, we've already covered up history…we're done on how it started, their wizarding dynasties…so now let's focus on their government…oh wait, we've done that already…it seems…hmm… well, all that's left are their present government officials." Marcia said, skimming across a book. Marcia sighed and looked at them pointedly

"Sri Lanka hasn't yet been given charter to have its own Ministry of Magic by the International Magical Union. That's because its magical community isn't quite yet developed. So the magical community of Sri Lanka is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Magic of India. The current governor of the magical community there is Governor Bahgya Gonzalez. He's a good friend of mine. We met up for tea last year when I went there." Marcia said, her eyes getting teary

Aerobe raised his hand

"Yes, Aerobe?" Marcia asked

"Is Sri Lanka petitioning to have its own Ministry of Magic as of the moment? Is the IMU considering it?" Aerobe asked, his eyes of Marcia but his left hand was writing furiously on his notebook

"Good question. Back in 1970 they filed a petition to have their own Ministry of Magic. Three governors later and its still on the works. Our own England is at minor fault here. You see the people who make the decisions in the IMU are the IMU Ambassadors from each country, countries that already have a ministry of magic. Yet the British Ambassador hasn't been focused on the petitions, due to the war he has been focused on getting international aid to stop Voldemort's doings and they need the ambassador to make the decision an absolute unanimous one. Thus the Sri Lanka petition is not yet getting any developments." Marcia explained

"Any more questions? None? All right let's move on to Japanese potions. First question: what two ingredients are said to be essential to almost every Japanese Potion?" Marcia asked, tapping her fingers on the table

Unsurprisingly, Neil raised his hand. Marcia nodded

"Pollen of a three year old cherry blossom and snow from Mt. Fiji…they say it has magical abilities. That's why they love it so much" Neil said

"To get a more 'feel' on how powerful snow really is on potions, I have here some snow…now, can I please have a volunteer?" Marcia looked around and Hermione, eager to please, raised her hand

"Ahh, the Hogwarts head girl. Miss Granger. Come up front. This will only be a pinch." Marcia said.

"Shanty may I borrow one of your daggers?" Marcia asked Lachine took out a big one and Hermione gasped

"Just a small one, dear." Marcia smiled, and Lachine rolled her eyes. She took out a small shuriken blade from her robe

"Thank you. Now, Watts, I need you to melt some of the snow" Marcia said, motioning to an ice bucket on her table. Neil shrugged and stood up, taking some of the snow and putting it in his cauldron. A few flicks of the wand and out came some sparkling water in a small vial

"You can put it there, thank you. Now, Ms. Granger, I promise you this will not wield any scars in the end" Marcia took Hermione's arm and with a quick motion of the hand, slashed her skin. In an instant blood poured out

"Oh my god! I need the hospital wing!" Hermione said, looking like she was going to cry. Marcia ignored her

"Does everyone see the wound?" Marcia held up Hermione's bleeding arm. Everyone said yes

"Now, I will take the melted snow from Mt Fiji and…voila…no scars" Marcia had poured the melted snow water on Hermione's bleeding arm and in an instant the gash was gone

"Look what it did to the arm…imagine what it could do in a potion…" Marcia said. She motioned for Hermione to take a seat. The moment Hermione sat, a knock came to the door

Ron, being the one in the back, stood up and opened it to reveal Dumbledore in all of his twinkle-eyed glory

"Ahh…Countess Marcia…I see you have done a little…decorating" Dumbledore said

"I hope you don't mind Albus. This is what the kids are used to back in the manor. I wanted them to feel at home." Marcia politely said

"Yes, I don't mind. I came here for another reason. It appears that your students left abruptly from the Potter manor last night. James Potter is devastated; he thought something had gone wrong. Now I see everything is all right." Dumbledore said

"We left for a reason, headmaster" Harry coldly said

"Yes but it was rather rude, you think…leaving the host's house without even informing." Dumbledore said

"The children were feeling unwell, Albus. I'm sure this will all be cleared up soon. I have a class to teach" Marcia said

"I apologize for interrupting. After your lessons may I ask to see Argon in my office? It's very important. I have already asked permission from the count." Dumbledore said

"Of course headmaster" Marcia said. Everyone looked at Harry. Suddenly, they didn't feel at home anymore in the classroom

**TBC**

**A/N PLEASE READ**

**OKAY! You hate me, you hate me, you hate me…blah blah blah! I'm sorry I haven't updated in a very long while. I've been so busy! Who knew senior year was hell? Anyway, I graduated! (Applause) and got accepted to the University of my dreams. (applause). Summer here is almost ending and I haven't had the chance to update because I've been so busy arranging college stuff. I've been given the privilege to take up the bachelor of fine arts major in creative writing. I'm gonna be busy packing for college so I wont be able to update for a while. I AM NOT ABANDONING THIS STORY. I'm sorry there are a lot of grammatical errors and I promise I will fix them. As soon as I end this fic I will focus all my heart into rewriting. I LOVE YOU GUYS! Leave reviews! **

**-vix **


	26. Secrets Learned

**Secrets Learned**

_**Dumbledore's Office**_

"You called for me, headmaster Dumbledore?" Harry coldly asked, not bothering to knock. How he had opened the door without the use of a password left Dumbledore slightly befuddled

"Yes I did. Please, take a seat." Dumbledore motioned to the seat in front of his table. Harry coldly nodded and stiffly took a seat. After a few seconds of silence, Dumbledore spoke up

"I know who you really are." Dumbledore calmly said. In an instant Harry's mind was spinning, but years of training left his face cold and unfazed

"I don't know what you mean, headmaster." Harry coldly said. "If you called me here to give false accusations I suggest you let me go before I do some very, very undesirable things"

"I know very well what your capable of, and I don't plan on crossing you. I just want the whole story, the whole truth. Not the lies Count Lodes told you to tell. Tell me, what happened five years ago? Tell me everything!" Dumbledore cried, standing up and shaking the table in front of him. Harry, however, remained stoic.

"Headmaster, I fear that the recent turn of events has done something unpleasant to your mind, causing you to make such horrible assumptions. I am who I've always told you I was. I am Argon, protégée of Count Lodes." Harry said. Inside, his heart was pounding madly but he did not show it.

"You weren't always. I know who you really are, and I know you haven't forgotten who you are either." Dumbledore said

"Headmaster, with all due respect, a man like you must know the…umm…criteria to be one of Lodes' protégées. History tells of a great count rescuing six horribly abused children who have extraordinary capabilities. I do not deny that I came from such a family, but now I am a changed man. I have found a real family, one that my biological one could not give me." Harry said, his patience slowly wearing out. It was taking all of his willpower not to jinx the old man sitting in front of him.

"That's how I found out who you really are, Harry James Potter."

_**The Realms**_

"…That's impossible. Nagini is a physical, animal representation of Voldemort…some might say that he is Voldemort himself. Do you mean to tell me you are the brother of the Wizarding world's most hated?" Ashley furiously asked. How dare this…this _snake_ come into the land of realms, the land where she had found peace, where she had found…love.

"Calm down Miss Potter. I solemnly swear I will tell you the whole story of why I am here. Do not fret, I wish to do some good to the world." Nagini's brother said. Ashley's face scrunched up

"Wait…I can understand you…Am I…am I…_parselmouth_?" Ashley asked. This was absurd. Being parselmouth represented darkness, and she was supposed to be the savior of light

"In a way, you are. You see, there are two kinds of parselmouths. The ones who can speak and understand snake language, and you're kind, the ones who can speak and understand snake language _only when the snake wants you to. _Your brother Harry is one of the first kind." The snake said

"Oh." Was all Ashley could say. "What should I call you?"

"From the centaurs of the clear west to the mermaids on the distant east, I am known as… Abuur." The snake said

"You…you're…" Ashley stuttered

"Yes. I have gained quite a reputation amongst magical creatures. All that will be revealed in due time. For now, would you like to know my purpose here?" Abuur asked

"Yes please." Ashley said. She was through hearing lies, never being told the complete truth. Perhaps Abuur could be the one to tell her why…why all of this was happening.

"Sit down. This might take a while." Abuur said, positioning himself atop the chair.

_**Dumbledore's office**_

"Excuse me?" Harry asked, his voice full of venom

"Yes. I know who you are." Dumbledore calmly said. "I said that a while ago, didn't I?

"I have told you before headmaster, just because I look like what the lost Potter boy would at this age, it is not evidence enough to convince everyone." Harry coldly said

"Oh, I didn't base it on that alone. I did some research. I knew Lodes only accepted horribly abused kids. Even though you have not known me when you were still living at Potter manor, I have been observing you ever since Voldemort's attack. I know how Lily and James have treated you." Dumbledore said

"Then why didn't you do anything? Why would you let a poor child suffer from the hands of his parents?" Harry coldly said. It was too late anyway, Harry thought. Dumbledore knew, there was no denying that.

"Lodes has been my subject of interest ever since he took my brother, Aberforth. Aberforth was stupid enough to tell me he was going away to a Count Lodes. Mind you I was a tad bit jealous of my brother, and since then I have vowed to know the Count's secrets, and it seems I have found out one of his more important ones." Dumbledore smugly said

"And what does that have to do with leaving a ten year old to suffer?" Harry asked

"You see Harry right after Voldemort attacked, I knew instantly he attacked you first, before Ashley. I believe it was because he wanted you out of the way first before he would kill the savior of light. But then that scar he gave you, I sensed some power in it. As the years went by I observed you become more powerful, without the knowledge of your parents. At that moment I knew Lodes was going to try and get you. When news came that you had disappeared, I knew I was correct." Dumbledore said. Harry's eyes narrowed, he was thinking of the things Dumbledore could accomplish with this information.

"What do you want headmaster?" Harry coldly asked. Dumbledore smiled. The boy was very smart, he thought.

"Why ever would you think I want something from you?" Dumbledore asked. This enraged Harry even more

"Tell me what you want and I will do it. I am not going to beg on my knees for you not to tell my parents. As far as I'm concerned, I don't care if you leak it out to everyone. I have five of the most powerful teenagers in the world and three of the Wizarding world's most legendary teachers behind my back. However if the task you require of me goes beyond my morality, then be certain I will not do it." Harry coldly said. It amazed him how he was keeping himself really calm

"If you don't care that it leaks out, why would you do whatever task I ask of you? Dumbledore asked, feeling confused

"Because headmaster, I like to stay out of the spotlight. I don't want people gossiping about me and talking about me. I don't want to draw any attention to myself in any matter, unlike my favored sister" Harry spat. Dumbledore merely nodded his head

"All right Harry, I will go by your terms. If you do this task I will keep quiet." Dumbledore said

"And if not?" Harry asked, folding his arms in front of his chest

"You'll see. For now, I will tell you what I want you to do. Have you ever heard of a cunning creature, a snake, named Abuur?" Dumbledore asked. Harry's eyes widened, images began spilling into his head.

"I see you have heard of him." Dumbledore smugly said

"I've had…encounters with him on my travels" Harry softly said. Dumbledore nodded, and asked if Harry knew who Abuur really was.

"Do you know who the snake Abuur's brother is? And how that happened?" Dumbledore asked

"Of course I do. Do not think of me as stupid, the snake told me himself. He is Nagini's brother…but Nagini's a female snake…'brother' is just a term in parselmouth which means 'created in the same nature in time'" Harry said, remembering clearly the day he had encountered Abuur.

_**Land of Realms**_

"I believe it all started with the death of one Bertha Jorkins. That was when Voldemort was assuring his immortality by making Horcruxes. You might know now that Nagini is his most prized Horcrux, let me tell you, Ashley, it was supposed to be me" Abuur started

"Wait. Bertha Jorkins…Uhmm…" Ashley was confused. She hadn't really read much on the Dark Lord's history.

"Yes, Bertha Jorkins. You see, when Voldemort's killing curse, which was supposed to be directed to you or your brother, rebounded, he was in a non-corporeal state…he was in a state in which he was half monster and half man. So he needed to regain his power, and the only method that he saw fit was to make me a horcrux. Now, Nagini and I were mates, we followed Voldemort around for years believing he could bring us more power. The night he killed Bertha Jorkins I already knew his plans, and frankly I didn't see myself serving and following him to the end of days…so I hatched a plan." Abuur explained as Ashley eagerly listened to his every word.

"Remember Ashley that Voldemort wasn't thinking clearly in his state, and when he milked my venom so he could regain power I found a way to switch my venom and Nagini's. You see if he had taken in my venom, I would have formed a special bond with him, the kind of bond he and Nagini currently have." Abuur continued

"Why would Voldemort choose you amongst all of the world's snakes?" Ashley asked

"Salazar Slytherin had a hobby of breeding snakes to create different breeds. One night he decided to experiment and it resulted into my breed of snakes. We have different venom than other snakes, our venom, like Unicorn blood and Phoenix tears, if freely given, have magnificent powers. Nagini and I are the last of this kind and with her being a horcrux, I'm afraid our kind is doomed to extinction." Abuur explained

_**Dumbledore's Office**_

"Do I make the mission clear, Argon?" Dumbledore asked, tapping his hand on his desk

"Crystal, sir." Harry smirked. The mission would prove to be challenging, but he lived for challenges

"Good. You are dismissed." Dumbledore said, flashing those twinkling eyes of his.

Harry nodded and started to walk towards the door. Looking at a piece of parchment at a nearby table, he stopped and looked closely. It was a list of incoming first years for the next year

"Sir, why didn't I ever get a Hogwarts letter?" Harry asked, picking up the paper.

"I told you Harry, I wanted to find out if Lodes was interested in you, even if it meant risking a potential student. So I did a little backdoor work and had your name erased" Dumbledore calmly said. Harry furiously turned to him

_**Flashback**_

"_It's been two weeks after your birthday boy and no Hogwarts letter! I can't believe I gave birth to a squib! Disgusting!" Lily cried, slapping Harry across the cheek. _

"_It will come, mum! Maybe they had a delay or something! Please!" Harry begged. James Potter entered the room, a letter in hand_

"_I just came from Hogwarts, Lily and they have no record whatsoever of this…this filth ever having magical abilities!" James angrily said, crumpling the paper. Lily burst into tears_

"_That's impossible!" Harry cried, he knew he had magic, he knew he wasn't a squib_

"_Don't talk back to me you squib. You've upset your mother and disgraced our family name enough!" James said. He conjured up a paddle and started beating the boy._

"_I have magic! I have magic!" Harry kept repeating in his mind as he began to lose consciousness. The last thing he was able to see before blacking out was Ashley, proudly holding up an envelope with the Hogwarts seal. _

_**End Flashback**_

"Go. To. Hell!" Harry angrily shouted. He crumpled the list and burned it with his bare hands

"I hope that wasn't your only copy." Harry smirked and left the room, slamming the door behind him.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

**That was a quick update…considering my updating history. College is pretty good because I have at least one hour in between subjects so I had loads of time to come up with this chapter. This chapter pretty much explains many things so I hope you're still following this story**

**Next chapter, we will find out who Gerard Forestbolt, the man who wrote the book about Count Lodes (Which Harry and Neil found on Harry's old bedroom during the party), really is. Hint – He is a real HP character. **

**How do you like everything so far? Any suggestions on what should happen? **

**To those who have been complaining on me getting a beta – I am NOT going to get a beta. I want this story to be completely mine, done and submitted by me alone. No matter how bad it may be, I assure you the text that will appear here will be completely made by me with no help from others. I am going to do this independently and I believe this will be a learning experience on the evolution of my skills as a writer. **

**REVIEW PLEASE!**


	27. Faith

**Faith**

_**The Realms**_

"…and how do I fit into all of this?" Ashley asked. For the past three hours Abuur had been telling her the story of his involvement with the dark lord, Professor Dumbledore and a man named Gerard Forestbolt. Yet, she still was confused on how she fit into all of this, or why Abuur had chosen to reveal all this to her

"Your involvement in this war is crucial, that I can tell you. There is something about yourself that you must know, something very important, but I fear it is not my place to tell you. Someday, when the time is right, you will know, and I feel that as the war comes to a climax, you will know it very soon. Right now, though, we must focus on getting you out of the realms." Abuur said

Ashley sighed; she did not know what to say. On one hand, she missed her family and Hogwarts so badly that she was willing to do anything to go back. On the other hand, she felt an extreme happiness here, happiness she had never felt for a long time.

"Why? The final battle isn't for a long time. Besides, this place might help me find out who I truly am in this world." Ashley said. Abuur hissed

"The Realms aren't always the safest places to be, Ashley. Time is of no essence here, and I am afraid you have lost track of what time really is. You have been gone for a long time, how long, I cannot tell you myself. But the absence of time has clouded your judgment, one way or another." Abuur said.

"Why aren't the realms safe?" Ashley asked, "This place is beyond Voldemort, it is like Heaven."

"The land of the Realms is no heaven. It is all an illusion. Trust me, Ashley, when I say this. This place will not help you in any way." Abuur angrily said. Ashley frowned

"But they, the people here, say I am recovering. I know I will have to undergo many trials and…" Ashley was broken off by Abuur's loud hiss.

"Listen here you silly girl! I was as naïve as you before! After my escape from Voldemort I did not directly go to distant places campaigning against his cause. Some cruel force brought me here. For a while I felt bliss, but when I looked through a mirror in one special room located in the Realm of Faith, I saw what the Wizarding World had become, it had become a wasteland. People on Earth are suffering, and you and I of all creatures should not be sitting idly by while they're fighting for a better future!" Abuur bellowed. Ashley cringed, but she thought about what Abuur said.

The Wizarding World may be petty and gullible at times but Ashley's presence gave them the luxury to afford being petty and gullible. In the peak of the first war her parents told her of a time no one laughed and no one smiled. The existence of Ashley made them believe there was still a chance, that they were protected. So they did petty, absurd, sometimes-insignificant things. Now that Ashley was not currently in their world, was there no one smiling?

"Am I ready to go back?" Ashley asked, not just to Abuur, but also to herself. She wasn't really sure if she was.

"You've grown up, Ashley. I've seen you before, a spoilt brat. Now, you actually care. If you had been the person you were before in the same situation, you would have jumped at my offer of going out of this. You've finally seen the point of you being here in the first place. Right now, the real world needs their hope back. Something's about to happen, Ashley, something that would turn your life upside down and make you think you were living a lie. When that happens, please don't ever lose hope." Abuur said.

Ashley stopped and thought. Somehow she thought she was focusing on all the wrong things, that the goals Dumbledore, her parents and the Wizarding world had set for her may not even be the goals she was destined for. She realized that everything in her life started turning around for the better when Count Lodes and his students came to Hogwarts. She now knew that the reason why she had been unstable in the past was that her mind was not at peace about her brother. She finally realized that the reason she was being all mighty and powerful and hurting everyone was that Harry had hurt her subconsciously when he disappeared, and deep, deep down in her heart she felt that it was her fault he went away. Count Lodes' students, especially Argon, had opened up old wounds that she previously thought she would never want to have opened again. Now she knew that it was healthy she reconciled her conscience with Harry. She didn't need the realms. She was just here because she couldn't really reflect on Earth with everything going crazy around her.

"I was going down the wrong path, wasn't I?" Ashley asked. Abuur hesitated. "Wasn't I?" Ashley repeated, this time more angrily

"Yes. You were going down the path destined for another person. You have another destiny, and although the goals of the two paths are mainly the same, the way is very, very much different." Abuur said

"Then I guess I'll have to make things right then." Ashley said. Realizing this, she felt smarter, stronger, and more importantly ready.

"Are you ready to go?" Abuur asked. Ashley nodded, but then stopped. _What about Tyron?_

_**Hogwarts**_

Harry searched through his things, various objects now strewn across the previously clean room. After pouring all contents from his dresser, he started on his trunk.

"_Invisibility cloak, no. A vial of Amortentia, why the hell would I need that…hmm smells like the lake at the Manor…and peppermint…" _Harry thought, his cheeks turning a bit pink. He returned back to his searching.

"_A vial of Felix Felicis, Hahaha, never needed it. Bezoar, no. Hand of Glory, I thought I left this at the Manor, oh well. A PYGMY PUFF?" _Harry scrambled to his feet as the furry creature bounced up and down from the trunk and then snuggled at his left foot. _How long has that been there? _

"_Aaah! Here it is!"_ Harry enthusiastically grinned, grabbing a book that was wrapped in an old cloak of his. Harry straightened himself and with a wave of his right hand, the mess started to clean up and return to where they were previously before Harry had messed them all up.

The pygmy puff had decided to situate itself on his shoulder. Harry grinned at it before grabbing the book and walking briskly outside of his room, through some hallways and into the count's study.

_Knock, knock. _Harry knew from experience that it was extremely best to knock first before entering, not unless he wanted some strong curses thrown at him. The door opened by itself and Harry let himself in.

"Aaah. Harry m'boy! What can I do for you?" The count asked. He put down his paperwork and glasses and motioned for Harry to sit.

Harry sighed and took the seat in front of the count's desk. He put the book atop the table and pushed it softly towards the count. The count frowned at him before taking the book. The count read the title then let a small smile grace his face. He put his glasses on and sighed, looking at Harry.

"Where did you find this?" The count asked. Harry took off his glasses and wiped it on his shirt before answering

"Neil and I found it while we were at Potter Manor. I was wondering if you could um…tell me…" Harry started, not knowing how to word it.

"This is about the task Dumbledore gave you?" The count asked. Harry looked at the count, slightly shocked that he knew, but then smiled softly. Nothing went by the count undetected.

"Yes. I used to read that book, you see, when I was little, and I found the name of the snake Abuur there. The problem is, I never got around knowing who…Gerard Forestbolt was." Harry said, clearly hesitating. The count chuckled and opened his mouth as if he was about to say something, but was interrupted by a knock. The door revealed Luciana.

"Aaah, Luciana. Your timing is impeccable, as always. You do have a knack of showing up just when the situation calls for it." The count said, smiling sadly. Luciana furrowed her eyebrows, clearly confused, so did Harry.

"Huh? I came here to inform you sir that…" Luciana started, but was cut off by a quick wave of the count's hand

"Harry here was asking about a remarkable fellow…I was about to tell him the story, but who better to tell his story than you?" The count said, giving the book to Luciana. Luciana didn't even look at it

"Sir, I…" Luciana started again but was cut off

"Luciana, listen. I want you to tell Harry the whole story, the whole truth. I believe that it would be important in his task. Besides, I believe you know…more things about him than me…" The count said, his eyes twinkling with amusement. Luciana looked even more confused than Harry, but they both stayed silent for a while.

"Whose story?" Luciana asked, looking at the book. Her eyes slowly widened and she slammed the book down the desk

"Like hell I will. I'm not really comfortable…" Luciana said. The count looked at her sternly

"He needs to know. Besides, if you keep it all bottled up inside you it will do you no good. He needs to know the story of Gerard Forestbolt." The count said. Luciana growled angrily

"Don't call him that. That's not his name and you all know it!" Luciana furiously said. Harry shook his head no.

"Tell him." The count calmly said. Luciana sat down on the chair next to Harry, still put out but clearly defeated.

"All right. We begin with a translation. Translate Forest to German." Luciana calmly said.

"Wald." Harry quickly said. _Correct_, Luciana muttered. The count smiled. Luciana took out her wand and swished it in the air, as if writing letters. Instantly, the word _Wald _was now written in the air in green font.

"Now, translate Bolt, to _old_ German." Luciana calmly said. Harry thought about it a bit and said "Grindel…Aaah!"

"Shh...Let her finish!" The count excitedly said. Luciana nodded calmly

"Now, translate Gerard into Hungarian." Luciana said.

Harry immediately said "Gellert! Gellert Grindelwald!" Luciana winced, but nevertheless nodded.

"Yes, Harry. I will tell you the story of…Gellert Grindelwald…"

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

**Next chapter will be posted sometime in the third or fourth week of October, when we have out semester break. Finals exams are in three weeks and I really need to study. So far, so good. College is a big bam! Hahaha! **

**So, yes, it's Gellert Grindelwald. Cookies come to those who guessed correctly. Now, from this chapter on this story is going to get a little more darker and more serious. The real climax of the story is about to happen and characters are slowly changing. **

**Next chapter will be dedicated to my version of Grindelwald's story. Yes, he and Luciana had quite the…history. **

**SPOILER ALERT: **_**there will be a face off between Luciana and Dumbledore**_**. I wont tell you what it's about. If your good at reading context clues then you'll figure it out. Long story, just keep on reading and all will be understood in due time. **

**And oh yeah, how many times do I have to tell SOME PEOPLE OUT THERE THAT THE THANKSGIVING BALL THAT HAPPENED SOME CHAPTERS AGO WAS NOT IN HONOR OF AN AMERICAN THANKSGIVING. I'M NOT STUPID YOU KNOW! IT WAS A THANKSGIVING PARTY FOR THEIR ARRIVAL IN HOGWARTS. I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO CALL IT SO SORRY! **

**Wow…I actually ranted…**

**Sorry if some of the characters become a bit OC but all will become clear in due time. In the meantime, I have a little survey for everyone**

**As we all know, the Amortentia love potion smells differently to each of us. It will smell like something that makes us happy or it will trigger a smell from your memory or something like that. **

_**IF YOU HAD A VIAL OF AMORTENTIA POTION IN YOUR HANDS, WHAT DO YOU THINK IT WOULD SMELL LIKE?**_

**Please answer the survey… thanks! :D**

**-sassygirl93**


	28. A LETTER TO YOU ALL

**04/25/11**

**Dear Readers**

**I can't believe it's been a year. No, I am not dead. I am very much alive and so is this story. I have not abandoned this fanfic and I never will. The reason why I have not been able to give you the updates you truly deserve is because I have been thinking really hard on what to do with the story. I started out with such a great plot and all these good characters but when the last Harry Potter book came out, and the Beadle the Bard storybook got released, I began to get more ideas and I found a way to incorporate the more recent books into the story. So I wrote a few chapters but it just got confusing and something within the plot did not add up. So with a heavy heart, I have made a decision**

**I have decided to put this story on hiatus. Okay, stop throwing those tomatoes. **

**I do bear good news. Recently thought about the story and how I cannot proceed without proper mapping of future events to transpire and most importantly, characterization. I have also decided to begin rewriting the story from the very first chapter up to the most recent one. This is the first time I'm going to try rewriting a story because I have always had a firm belief that what's done is done and we can only learn from our mistakes and move on. But not now. I want to make Never Again my biggest fanfiction legacy and it will possibly be my last Harry Potter fanfic, and maybe even my last fanfiction story ever. The series draws to an end when the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 premieres and as my way of saying goodbye to the Harry Potter universe, I am going to do well in rewriting this story and I am going to make you, my readers, proud. **

**This does not mean that I will not continue to write. How can I do that? It's my passion. After Never Again, I am taking a break from the fanfiction world and I will work on my original story. I am growing as a writer and I believe part of that growth is to deviate from working with the creations of others and begin working with your own creation. JK Rowling's world is magnificent and I cannot imagine my life without Harry Potter but as sure as the Harry Potter cast will walk down that red carpet at the movie premiere of the last Harry Potter movie in the series, I will be saying goodbye to fanfiction. It's time to stop being a fan and start creating my own works. **

**Thank you so much for the wonderful support this story has gotten. I am in love with every single one of you, from the silent readers who never review to the flamers who have nothing better to do. You all have taught me something and your reviews have meant the whole world to me. **

**I am officially going to take the story down and replace it with a new first chapter so you guys better read up all you can before it all goes tumbling down.**

**I hope you will continue to support this story.**

**Cheers!**

**-sassygirl93**


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